Union Forest and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said he would meet Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee shortly and urge her to impose speed restrictions on trains passing through elephant corridors.He was talking to newspersons after visiting Banarhat area in Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal where seven elephants were run over and killed by a goods train 8 days ago. He said, he would meet Mamata Banerjee next week and urge her to instruct the railways to reduce the speed limit of trains to 20 to 25 km per hour in the stretches passing through elephant corridors. Ramesh said,the Forest department will also set up watch towers to monitor the movement of elephant herds in forests bordering railway tracks. A total of 10 watch towers will be erected beside the 168 km of rail track from New Jalpaiguri to Alipurduar station as 44 elephant corridors fall on the stretch.Incidents of elephants killed by trains have increased after the conversion of the stretch from metre gauge to broadgauge.
News On AIR | October 1, 2010 9:10 PM
Jairam Ramesh to meet Mamata to urge speed restrictions on Elephant corridors