Seven elephants tragically lost their lives when they were struck by the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Sangjurai, Assam, underscoring the urgent need for an intrusion detection system (IDS) in areas where elephants are known to move. This incident took place in a rural part of Hojai district, central Assam, which is also a significant region for paddy cultivation. Experts believe that had an IDS been in place, this collision might have been averted.
Currently, IDS technology is being implemented in various elephant corridors across India, including in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) regions. However, Kampur, a district heavily impacted by human-elephant conflicts and home to Sangjurai, has not yet received this critical technology, despite the evident need.
About 30 kilometers from where the elephants were killed, an AI-enhanced IDS operates between Hawaipur and Lumding, in a designated elephant corridor aimed at preventing similar tragedies. Following this recent incident, railway officials pointed out that the presence of an IDS could have completely changed the outcome. Implemented in Assam over the past two years, the IDS mandates a speed limit of 30 km/h in areas where it is active.
“Approximately 70 kilometers of railway track in Assam is currently equipped with IDS, but it wasn’t installed in Sangjurai,” confirmed NF Railway Chief Public Relations Officer KK Sharma. He further stated that plans are in motion to extend the IDS coverage to other vulnerable regions within the NF Railway zone, explaining that this technology is primarily set up in recognized elephant corridors to detect their presence near the tracks.
Sharma clarified, “IDS has been installed in the area from Hawaipur to Lumding, which is a recognized elephant corridor; however, this incident occurred about 30 kilometers away from that corridor.” He added that the area where the collision happened features tracks elevated on a high bank, suggesting that elephant movement is infrequent there. Contrarily, local villagers have reported regular elephant crossings at the incident site, particularly between November and January, as elephants often feed on paddy during this time.
Conservationists emphasize the necessity of IDS but also call for a more coordinated system to comprehensively track elephant movements.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/intrusion-detection-system-could-have-averted-tragedy/articleshow/126097369.cms
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2025-12-21 19:02:00
