Wireless system for Dooars - Walkie-talkie & vigil on foot reduces jumbo deaths on tracks

Elephants cross railway tracks near Damanpur

TT, Alipurduar, June 7: Two high frequency wireless sets that were installed in two railway stations of Buxa Tiger Reserve in April have helped avoid elephant deaths on tracks more than 30 times, railway reports said.

The railway department has also deployed 10 persons to keep a watch on the tracks between Damanpur and Garopara at night and inform the nearest control room if they spot animals near the lines.

The 20km stretch is part of an elephant corridor and speeding trains often mow down animals in the area.

On January 5,three elephant calves died after they were hit by a speeding train at Damanpur. Two elephants injured in the accident died later. On March 5, a tusker was mowed down by a train near the same spot.

“We installed two VHF (very high frequency) sets in Rajabhatkhawa and Kalchini stations on April 23. Foresters communicate with railway employees through walkie-talkies and inform them about elephants near the tracks. Sometimes there is no mobile network range inside the forest. But a walkie-talkie works everywhere. Both the (railways and forest) departments are working together. Since April, there have been at least 30 incidents in which elephants have been saved from speeding trains after the new system was put in place. We have plans to install a similar system in Hasimara,” said Virendra Kumar, divisional railway manager of Alipurduar.

Earlier, local people used to inform the nearest forest beat office about elephant movement close to the tracks and the foresters used to inform the railways. But often, the information did not get communicated on time. With the new wireless system in place, railway staff would be posted in the control rooms round-the-clock. Earlier, the control rooms were manned only at night.

Now, staff members from Tiger-III tower near Rajabhatkhawa station use walkie-talkies to communicate with railway employees at the station.

Registers are maintained at both Rajabhatkhawa and Kalchini stations to note the call details.

Railway employees are also posted at Chital and Hati towers near Kalchini and they communicate with the staff at the station.

Apurbo Sen, deputy field director, Buxa (west), said: “We have deployed 10 persons and each worker is paid Rs 173 per day. Their duty is to walk along the tracks from Damanpur to Dima bridge at night and inform the nearest railway control rooms if they spot animals close to the tracks. We have sent a proposal to deploy more people for night vigil in BTR west.”