Seizure of a diesel locomotive engine of a goods train by Assam Forest Department after two elephants were killed by the train on a track passing through a forest range has turned the spotlight on the perennial problem of man-elephant conflict in the state. It remains to be seen if the action taken by the Forest department will have the desired deterrent effect to rule out train-hit incidents in future. The incident of a female elephant and its calf being killed by a train engine has brought home the reality that this man-made conflict is far from being resolved. The Forest department later released the seized loco engine into the custody of the Northeast Frontier Railway.
The N. F. Railway authorities have suspended the pilot and the assistant pilot of the locomotive and initiated a probe. Even though the seizure of the locomotive attracted wide publicity, the NFR authorities have said that the seizure and subsequent release of the locomotive is a procedural requirement for enquiry, not first of its kind. There are 67 notified elephant corridors under the five divisions of the NF Railway – Rangiya, Lumding, Tinsukia, Alipurduar and Katihar. Initiatives to prevent train-hit of elephants in these notified corridors include providing signage boards, clearing of vegetation along the track for better visibility of the locomotive pilot and installation of laser speed guns to detect over speeding of trains in the elephant crossing zones. However, these initiatives have not put an end to incidents of running trains hitting and killing elephants crossing the tracks. There can be no room for any complacency in mere reduction of such incidents and constant efforts must be made to bring it to zero incident and zero elephant casualty. Incidence of elephant herds straying into paddy fields, feasting on the standing crop and local villagers chasing them resulting in fierce conflict has also increased.
These paddy fields have come up on the natural migration routes of elephant herds in their natural habitat which has shrunk due to rampant clearing of forests for human settlement, farming, and development projects. This explains the prevalence and recurrence of conflict situation. Fatalities of both human and elephants due to the conflict has increased which has raised questions over the effectiveness of the solutions evolved and tried so far to prevent and mitigate the conflict. Official data show that over 500 human lives are lost in "encounters with elephants, and crop and properties worth several million are also damaged" and about 100 elephants in retaliation and "human-related activities" including poaching for ivory or meat, electrocution, poisoning and train collision in India every year. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change brought out a pictorial guide on "Best Practices of Human Elephant Conflict Management in India," in July as reference tool for state forest departments.
One practice highlighted is restricting the elephants in their natural habitats by digging elephant proof trenches, installing solar power fences, strong barriers using steel channels, used rails and concrete walls have been rejected by many environment activists as of these measures resulted in inflicting critical physical injuries to many migrating wild elephants. Besides, permitted as well as illegal clearing of forests in elephant corridors for extraction of coal, crude oil, natural gas, sand, boulder mining has led to reduction of their natural habitats. Therefore, the very idea of restricting the elephant movement in natural habitats without protecting these habitats is flawed as the boundary of these habitats are getting changed and reduced by these activities. Rampant open cast mining by Coal India Limited without prior approval from the National Board of Wildlife or illegal rat hole mining in some forest areas under Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve has led to reduction of the natural habitat of wild elephants. Likewise, unabated illegal sand and stone mining in Kaziranga Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve has led to wanton destruction of forests in the notified elephant reserve.
The Ministry of Environment has proposed an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act to protect the elephant reserves and corridors on the line of tiger reserves and has sought responses of the State governments on the legal status of these reserves and corridors. Securing legal status for the elephant reserves and corridors is critical to prevent destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats of wild elephants. Assam has five notified elephant reserves which requires the state forest department to play a pro-active role in ensuring legal status for these elephant habitats. The state has about 5700 wild elephants. Lessons learnt from the experiences of effectiveness of measures for prevention and mitigation of the human-elephant conflict already in force in the state and elsewhere caution that mere granting of legal status is not going to work. Rapidly changing dynamics of the human-elephant conflict and push for development projects in the state call for innovative solutions.
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