New Delhi: A total of 81 elephants have died in train collisions across India between 2019-20 and 2023-24, according to data provided by State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The information was shared in the Lok Sabha on Monday by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh.
In response to these alarming figures, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, has initiated a series of measures aimed at preventing such fatalities. These include speed restrictions in elephant corridors, installation of seismic sensor-based elephant detection systems, construction of underpasses, ramps, and fencing in critical zones.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, has also played a key role by publishing a detailed guideline titled ‘Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure’. The document is intended to help agencies design and implement railway and other linear infrastructure projects in ways that minimize human-wildlife conflict.
As part of capacity-building efforts, workshops for railway officials were conducted at WII in 2023 and 2024, focusing on elephant conservation and protection strategies.
Additionally, a comprehensive field-based report titled “Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India” has been prepared.
The report identifies 127 railway stretches spanning 3,452.4 km, out of which 77 high-priority stretches covering 1,965.2 km across 14 states have been selected for immediate intervention. These prioritized sections will see site-specific mitigation efforts based on wildlife movement patterns.
The report has been shared with State Governments and the Ministry of Railways for implementation, marking a coordinated national effort to reduce wildlife casualties on railway tracks and promote ecological harmony alongside infrastructure development
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