Elephant deaths intensify calls for notified corridors

GUWAHATI: The death of seven elephants in Sangjurai village in Assam’s Hojai district in a fatal train collision has intensified calls for the official recognition of areas with frequent elephant movement as “elephant corridors” to prevent such accidents in the future.

Sangjurai, known for its rich agricultural landscape, attracts elephants from Nov to Jan as they feed on ripening paddy. Despite repeated requests from villagers, the area has not been declared a notified corridor, which would require trains to move cautiously to avoid such collisions.





The current incident is not an isolated event. In Feb 2018, a similar train accident in nearby Patiapam, just 1.5 km from the recent collision site, resulted in the deaths of four elephants. The elephants migrate between their habitat in the Kandali Pahar hills of Nagaon district and the plains in search of food, frequently passing through Sangjurai and Patiapam.

Local residents are now demanding the establishment of notified elephant corridors, particularly in vulnerable areas. The nearest existing corridor is between Hawaipur and Lumding, approximately 30 km away, which does not adequately serve the local elephant population.

Debashish Borah, a local youth activist, expressed frustration over the lack of action following the 2018 incident. “While the state forest department initially installed nets to prevent elephants from entering Patiapam, these measures have since been removed. Petitions to reduce train speeds in these areas have also been ignored,” he said.

The incident has sparked a blame game between the railways and the forest department, with each side pointing fingers at the other for the lapses. Villagers are calling for a definitive solution to prevent further tragedies. The herd involved in the collision consisted of over 50 elephants, and following the accident, it split into two groups, raising concerns among villagers about potential aggression if the elephants reunite.

According to sources within the state forest department, railway officials were alerted about the elephant herd’s presence in the area before the collision occurred. “A team of forest guards attempted to drive the herd away from the tracks and was just a few metres away from the herd when the incident took place,” said a forest official. However, NF Railway CPRO KK Sharma countered that the track where the collision occurred is elevated, making it unlikely for elephants to climb. “The location in Sangjurai is not recognised as an elephant crossing area. The incident was totally unexpected,” Sharma said.

A villager said elephants have been roaming the greater Kampur area for the past three months, yet authorities have failed to manage their movement effectively. The incident underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts between the railways and the forest department to ensure the safety of both wildlife and human populations in the region.

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