Passengers' Association urges underpasses to stop elephant fatalities; Recent accidents highlight urgent need for wildlife protection

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Passengers’ Association on Wednesday appealed to the Ranchi Railway Division to construct underpasses beneath railway lines in key elephant corridors to prevent elephant deaths on the tracks.The association wrote to the Ranchi Divisional Railway Manager, Karuna Nidhi Singh, expressing concern over recurring incidents of elephant deaths on railway tracks in the state. Notably, a sub-adult elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train on Monday between Nindra and Mahua Milaan railway stations in Latehar district. Following the accident, another elephant from the herd blocked the railway line for hours, forcing authorities to suspend train movement on the route. Prem Kataruka, secretary of the association, stated in the letter that the movement of wild animals, especially elephants, onto railway tracks in search of food and water has led to numerous accidents, causing harm to the animals, inconvenience to passengers, and losses to the railways. “The herd was in search of water. In view of this, we have appealed to the railway authorities to construct underpasses as a preventive measure,” Kataruka said.