Minister seeks explanation for elephant’s death

5 October 2011

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 5 OCT: The state forest minister, Mr Hiten Barman, has asked the chief conservator of forest (wildlife), north Bengal, Mr Krishnamurti, to begin a probe into the death of an elephant that had been run over by a speeding train on last night, keeping in mind the lack of coordination between the joint monitoring team comprising the railways and forest officials.
Mr Barman today said that he suspected that there was lack of coordination between the railway and forest officials to monitor the movement of elephants when the train was entering the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.
“I have asked the CCF, north Bengal, to immediately submit a report on the role of the monitoring committee. We need to know when the train started and whether the information was conveyed to the forest officials from the railway department or whether there was a communication gap between the two departments,” Mr Barman said.
A five-year-old female elephant was mowed down by a speeding train between Savoke and Gulma railway stations under Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in Darjeeling district on the night of 3 October.
“We are planning to convene a meeting of the joint monitoring committee and review the situation,” Mr Barman said.
Mr Barman also affirmed that the Centre had allotted Rs 1.93 crore for the construction of a watchtower and lighting arrangement along the railway track, which cuts the elephant corridors in different wildlife sanctuaries. The fund is yet to transferred to the railway department, he said.
“The state forest department has received the allotted funds for the project and it has already informed the finance department to transfer the fund to railway department. The railway department would begin the 
work when the finance department hands the fund over to them,” he added.