Bengal: Forest department ‘seizes’ goods train that killed 3 elephants

Kolkata, Nov 27 (PTI) West Bengal's Forest Department on Monday "seized" a goods train that killed three elephants when they were crossing the tracks passing through the forests at Rajabhatkhawa in Alipurduar district, an official said.

Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Roy told PTI that the train was "seized" following the accident that happened at 7.20 am.

"The seizure is technical here. It is not that the Forest Department has taken physical possession of the goods train. The train is at the accident site. The seizure process involves some paperwork," he said.

The Rajabhatkhawa-Kalchini section where the accident happened is not covered by the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) meant to avert such collisions, a senior official of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said.

The incident happened when the empty goods train was going from Alipurduar to Siliguri, he said.

The forested Rajabhatkhawa area is situated beside the Buxa Tiger Reserve in the northern region of the state.

"No caution order was there at that time and such speed limit is operational in the area from 5 pm to 5 am," the NFR official said.

The medical examinations of the driver and assistant driver of the train have been done.

Stating that IDS is operational in some parts of the Alipurduar railway division of NFR, he said that it is yet to be installed in the Alipurduar-Kalchini section.

"Tendering process to bring the whole section under IDS is on along with that for Lumding and Rangia divisions of NFR," the official said.

He said that there has been no incident of elephant dashing by trains in the places where IDS has already been installed. PTI