FORESTERS AND RAILWAYS TRADE CHARGES, COMPLAINT AGAINST DRIVERTrain hits elephant in Dooars, lens on speed

TT, BUREAU, 28 September 2019, Jalpaiguri/Alipurduar: A wild elephant crossing the Dooars tracks that connects Siliguri Junction with Alipurduar Junction suffered serious injuries after it was rammed by an Assam-bound passenger train on Friday.

The impact was such that the engine cabin of the train was damaged and the driver sustained injuries. Train movement along the tracks was hit for around two hours.

Sources said the Siliguri Junction ­ Dhubri passenger was heading towards Dhubri. At around 8.40am, a wild "makna" (male elephant without tusks) came on the track.

"Ajay Murmu, the loco pilot, pulled the emergency brakes but could not stop the train. It collided with the elephant and the animal suffered serious injuries. Also, the engine got damaged and Murmu himself also got injured," said a source in the Northeast Frontier Railway.

The elephant, which is suspected to have ended with a fractured hind leg, dragged itself out of the tracks. With bruises and cuts all over its body, it started straying into the plantations of the nearby Dharanipur tea estate.

In recent times, the loco pilots have managed to stop trains on a number of occasions, as they noticed ele- phants on the track. On Friday, however, the elephant had emerged suddenly and the loco pilot could not get adequate time to stop the train, said sources.

"Even on Friday, around 7.50am, the loco pilot of Siliguri-Bamanhat passenger that was travelling in the same route had spotted a herd of five elephants on the track and could avert an accident by controlling the speed," the source added.

Passengers travelling in the train that was running between Banarhat and Carron stations then felt a sudden jerk. "We were surprised and soon came to know that the train has hit an elephant, Most of us got down to see what has happened. We could see the elephant which was still beside the track then," said Pradip Dutta, a daily commuter.

As the news spread, foresters rushed to the spot. They however, found it tough to get close to the injured elephant to treat it. Later, two pet elephants were engaged and the animal could be tranquilized and treated.

The railways have constituted a three-member committee to probe the incident. The forest department, on the other hand, has filed a complaint with the police against the loco pilot.

"We had cautioned the railways that there should be restriction in speed at this stretch. Even then, the incident occurred in broad daylight. We have filed a complaint against the loco pilot," said Nisha Goswami, the divisional forest officer of Gorumara wildlife division Straying tusker In another incident, a wild tusker came out of Jaldapara National Park and entered in Jateswar under Falakata block on Friday morning.

As it strayed into localities, villagers got panicked and informed foresters. Foresters finally steered it back into the nearby Dalgaon forests in the evening.