Elephant Deaths on Railway Tracks 

Why in News ?

• 4th elephant death on railway tracks in 2025; toll 94 since 2019.
• Dec 20, 2025: 7-8 elephants killed in Hojai/Nagaon, Assam (Rajdhani Express).
• Recent incident in Assam (Hojai–Lumding section) despite prior warnings and mitigation measures.
• Raises concerns on human–wildlife conflict, infrastructure planning, and governance failures.

Relevance

GS I – Geography 

• Human–environment interaction.
• Ecological corridors and landscape fragmentation.
• Impact of infrastructure on ecosystems.

GS III – Environment, Internal Security

• Biodiversity conservation (elephants – Schedule I species).
• Human–wildlife conflict.
• Non-traditional security threats (train derailments, passenger safety).
• Sustainable infrastructure development.

Scale of the Problem 

• 94 elephant deaths (2019–2025) due to train hits (average ≈ 13–14/year).
• India hosts ~60% of Asia’s elephants (~27,000; Project Elephant estimates).
• High-risk states:
  • Assam, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
• Rail–elephant collision hotspots:
  • Lumding–Badarpur (Assam)
  • Siliguri–Alipurduar (WB)
  • Chakradharpur division (Jharkhand–Odisha belt)

Structural Causes

A. Infrastructure–Ecology Mismatch

• Rail lines cut across traditional elephant corridors (not mapped during colonial-era alignments).
• Fragmentation of habitats due to:
  • Railways
  • Highways
  • Mining belts
  • Linear infrastructure without wildlife sensitivity

B. Governance & Planning Gaps

• Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) often:
  • Corridor-insensitive
  • Static, not updated with elephant movement data
• Poor inter-agency coordination:
  • Railways vs Forest Departments
• Mitigation often reactive, not preventive.

C. Operational Failures

• Speed restrictions not consistently enforced, especially at night.
• Dependence on human vigilance instead of automated systems.
• Dense fog + curves + embankments reduce driver visibility.

 Existing Mitigation Measures

A. Technological

• Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS):
  • Thermal cameras + AI analytics
  • Alerts loco pilots & stations in real time
  • Piloted in Assam, WB
  • Limitation: Partial coverage, maintenance issues

B. Administrative

• Speed restrictions (30–50 km/h) in notified zones.
• Elephant watchers & patrolling.
• GPS-based tracking of elephant herds (limited scale).

C. Ecological

• Underpasses/overpasses (few & expensive).
• Habitat improvement away from tracks (slow progress).

Inference: Measures exist, but scale, enforcement, and integration are weak.

Constitutional & Legal Dimensions

• Article 48A: State’s duty to protect wildlife.
• Article 51A(g): Citizen duty towards environment.
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972:
  • Elephants listed under Schedule I (highest protection).
• Project Elephant (1992):
  • Focus on habitat, corridors, conflict mitigation.
  • Rail safety still peripheral, not core.

Governance Lens (GS II)

• Illustrates policy silos:
  • Transport efficiency vs ecological sustainability.
• Reflects weak anticipatory governance.
• Example of implementation deficit, not policy absence.
• Need for evidence-based, spatial governance (GIS + wildlife data).

Internal Security & Disaster Angle 

• Train hits to elephants cause:
  • Derailment risks
  • Passenger casualties
  • Economic losses
• Wildlife accidents as non-traditional security threats.

Best Practices 

• Canada / USA:
  • Wildlife overpasses + fencing (Banff model).
• Sri Lanka:
  • Electric fencing integrated with rail alerts.
• Key takeaway: Structural solutions outperform vigilance-based ones.

Way Forward

Planning & Regulation

• Mandatory Wildlife Corridor Impact Assessment for all rail projects.
• Dynamic corridor mapping using satellite + GPS collar data.
• Corridor zones to be declared “Eco-Sensitive Rail Sections”.

Technology Scaling

• 100% IDS coverage in high-risk sections.
• Automated train braking integration with IDS alerts.
• Night-time speed governors in corridor stretches.

Ecological Engineering

• Standardised wildlife underpasses in all new lines.
• Retrofitting old tracks with funnel fencing + crossings.

Institutional Reform

• Permanent Rail–Forest Joint Command Centres.
• Dedicated funding window under CAMPA / Green Railways Policy.

Indian Elephant (Asian Elephant – Elephas maximus indicus)

• Scientific name: Elephas maximus (Indian subspecies: E. m. indicus)
• Distribution in India: Western Ghats, Northeast India, Eastern India, parts of Central India
• Population (India): ~27,000 (≈ 60% of Asia’s elephants)
• Legal status (India):
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Flagship species under Project Elephant (1992)
• Ecological role:
  • Keystone species
  • Seed dispersal
  • Forest–grassland ecosystem maintenance

Asian Elephant: Endangered (EN)  

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