The tragic death of seven elephants, struck by the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Sangjurai, Assam, has reignited urgent calls for the widespread installation of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) in areas prone to human-elephant conflict. The fatal collision underscores a critical gap in safety measures on railway tracks that traverse elephant habitats.
Details of the Sangjurai Tragedy
The incident occurred in a rural, paddy cultivation-dominated region within the Hojai district of central Assam. According to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer KK Sharma, the specific location in Sangjurai did not have an Intrusion Detection System installed. Approximately 70 kilometers of rail track in Assam is currently covered under IDS, but this stretch was not part of the protected network.
Sharma explained that the IDS is primarily deployed in officially notified elephant corridors. An AI-enabled system is operational about 30 kilometers away, between Hawaipur and Lumding, which is a designated corridor. Railway officials have indicated that had an IDS been present in Sangjurai, it could have potentially averted the disaster by enforcing automatic speed restrictions.
Contradictory Claims on Elephant Movement
While railway authorities stated that the incident site, where tracks are on a high bank, does not see frequent elephant movement, local villagers have contested this claim. Residents report regular elephant movement through the area, especially between the months of November and January, when the animals come to feed on the paddy crops.
This discrepancy highlights a key challenge. The Kampur region, under which Sangjurai falls, is severely affected by human-elephant conflicts but has yet to receive the protective IDS technology. The system, where implemented, enforces a strict speed limit of 30 kmph for trains to prevent collisions.
The Push for Comprehensive Solutions
In the wake of the tragedy, conservationists are stressing that while IDS is a crucial technological intervention, it must be part of a larger, coordinated strategy. There is a growing advocacy for a more comprehensive system to track elephant movements beyond just the notified corridors, covering all vulnerable zones.
NF Railway CPRO KK Sharma confirmed that plans are underway to extend the IDS coverage to more vulnerable areas within the NFR zone. The Sangjurai incident serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of delayed action in mitigating the deadly interface between expanding infrastructure and wildlife corridors.
