Lok Sabha Question No. 628 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-24
Subject: Elephants Death by Trains
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Thirumaa Valavan Thol

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 628

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2023

## Elephants Death by Trains

## 628.  SHRI THIRUMAAVALAVAN THOL:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the accidental death of elephants by trains running in the Railways forest sections between Shoranur in Kerala and Hosur in Tamil Nadu;
- (b) if so, the details of elephant deaths in these Railways sections;
- (c) whether the Government has any plan to prevent the elephant accidental deaths in these sections; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)&(b) As  per  the  information  received  from  the  States  of  Kerala  and  Tamil  Nadu,  the number of elephant  deaths  due to  railway  accidents  in  the  Railways  forest  sections between Walayar Range of Palakkad Division in Kerala and Hosur in Tamil Nadu are as follows.
- (c)&(d) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change  in  coordination  with Ministry of Railways has taken number of measures to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. The preventive measures undertaken include the following:
- (i) Inter-ministerial meeting convened regularly with the Ministry of Railways to holistically address the issue of rail-induced elephant mortality.
- (ii) A permanent Co-ordination Committee has been constituted between Ministry  of  Railways  and  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate Change for preventing elephant death in train accident.
- (iii) A  general  advisory  has  been  issued  jointly  by  Ministry  of  Railways  and Ministry  of  Environment  and  Forests  on  30th  March,  2010  to  the  General Managers  of  NF,  East  Cost  and  Southern  Railways  with  a  request  to implement the suggested measures.
- (iv) The Ministry had constituted a committee to review the deaths of elephants due to train hit in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala in compliance of Hon'ble NGT direction  dated  8 th July,  2021.  The  Committee  submitted  its  report  to  the Ministry in September 2021 suggesting recommendations to be taken up by Railways,  State  Forest  Departments  (SFDs)  of  Tamil  Nadu  and  Kerala  to prevent  death  of  elephants  due  to  train  hits.  The  report  submitted  by  the committee  has  been  circulated  to  the  SFDs,  Railways  and  other  concerned stakeholders to take appropriate measures to prevent death of elephants due to train hits.
- (v) The Wildlife Institute of  India  (WII)  has  developed  the  General  Guidelines for  Suggesting  Mitigation  Measures  on  Railways  Tracks  through  Elephant Habitats in India.
- (vi) The Ministry consistently organizing meeting with Ministry of Railways and taking mitigation measures such as Elephant Intrusion system and Intelligent elephant movement detection and alert system.  Moreover,  The Ministry on 21st  June,  2023  had  issued  a  letter  along  with  'General  Guidelines  for suggesting mitigation measures on Railway Tracks through Elephant Habitats in India' to the respective states for completion of joint surveys (along with Railways and WII) of the 110 sensitive stretches of existing railway lines for construction of permanent  mitigation  measures  to  mitigate  wildlife-rail collisions and finalise the appropriate mitigation measures.
- (vii) Imposition  of  permanent  and  temporary  speed  restrictions  in  identified elephant corridors and habitats.
- (viii) The Wildlife Institute of India in consultation with the Ministry of Environment  Forest,  and  Climate  Change,  National  Highway  Authority, National Tiger Conservation Authority and World Bank Group has published a  document  namely  'Eco-friendly  Measures  to  Mitigate  Impacts  of  Linear Infrastructure'  to  assist  project  agencies  in  designing  linear  infrastructure, including railways lines, in a manner that reduces human-animal conflicts.

|   Sl.No. | Location                                               |   Year |   No. of elephant death |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------|
|        1 | Walayar Range of Palakkad Division, Kerala             |   2018 |                       1 |
|        1 | Walayar Range of Palakkad Division, Kerala             |   2019 |                       3 |
|        1 | Walayar Range of Palakkad Division, Kerala             |   2022 |                       2 |
|        2 | Kelamangalam Rayakottai Track, Hosur Forest Tamil Nadu |   2013 |                       2 |
|        2 | Division,                                              |   2023 |                       5 |