Elephant death could have been avoided: MoEF Team

"If the train speed is regulated to within 50 kmph, an incident of such nature could not have occurred," Ministry of Environment and Forest additional director general (wildlife) S S Garbyal told reporters after meeting forest minister Bijayshree Routray.

"We do not see any reason why the speed of trains cannot be brought down to 50 km per hour. This has already been done in Rajaji National Park and also in West Bengal," Garbyal said.

He said the speed need to be regulated in areas where there was report of elephant movement on the tracks.

Stating that the MoEF would take up the matter with the Ministry of Railways and Railways Board, Garbyal said his two-member team came to ascertain what exactly happened.

Garbyal said the team would meet railway officials before winding up the visit and had also collected information from the state forest department which would be submitted to the ministry.

The forest minister said, "The railways have violated the norms in putting up signage and regulation of speed limit. The central team has realised the railway's negligence."

Besides Garbyal, the other member of the team was MoEF's wildlife division Inspector General A M Singh.

They visited Subalaya in Ganjam district where six elephants were killed after being hit by the Coromandal Super Fast Express train on the night of December 29. A railwayman also lost his life.

The state government and the railways have been accusing each for the death of the elephants.

Meanwhile, the forest department has written to the MoEF for regulating speed of trains in four places in the state.