Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday told the Rajya Sabha that six elephants were killed between June 20 and July 6 this year due to various reasons, including train accidents.
In a written reply, he said, as per information received from the state government, six elephants died in Coimbatore and The Nilgiris districts of Tamil Nadu between June 20 and July 6. “The causes of deaths in the region are natural, train accidents, road accidents and physical injuries,” he said, listing the measures taken by the government to mitigate man-animal conflict.
A general advisory was issued jointly to all railway zones and state governments suggesting steps to prevent train-hits on wild elephants, he added.
A few important recommendations are cleaning of vegetation on the sides of railway tracks, engagement of elephant trackers, communication with station masters and keeping railway tracks free of food waste that attracts elephants. “A permanent coordination committee has been formed jointly by the railway ministry and ministry of environment and forests to share information and monitor implementation of the advisory,” Dave said.