M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Oct 26: Hans Raj Meena, the senior divisional engineer of East Central Railway, Dhanbad and Kumar Ashish, the deputy director North division of the Palamu Tiger Reserve inspected the railway tracks between Kechki and Hehegara railway stations before Diwali to explore avenues for setting up of underpass/overpass for the wildlife as part of the mitigation measures to contain and curb train-wildlife collision.
Sources said the railway tracks lying between Kechki and Hehegara are most vulnerable to train-elephant collisions over the period of many decades.
It is for the first time that Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his team of the railway board sat on this issue wherein it was resolved to mitigate train-wildlife collisions at 100 locations in India including Palamu tiger reserve.
Senior railway official Meena and deputy director of the North division of the PTR Ashish inspected the Kechki railway tracks and then on bike via the bypass road reached Hehegara railway station to see the possible passage or crossing sites of the elephants. Meena then called in the railway trolley there and then he and Ashish travelled up to Chhipadohar railway station by the trolley.
Speaking to lagatar24.com, Ashish said, “The senior railway official saw the things across the tracks. We have shown him our suggested alternate route for the existing Up and Down railway lines as well as for the third railway line which is to be laid.”
“It would be in a fitness of thing if the railways set up underpass or overpass for mitigating train wildlife collision only after the existing Up and Down lines and the third railway line all are taken off from their present ground and laid back on the alternate passage,” he added.
