The tusker crosses the track as the train halts at a distance
Keonjhar: Two alert locomotive drivers of a goods train could avoid hitting a large tusker on Thursday morning, earning praise and possibly, a reward.Around 8.21 am on Thursday, a tusker was crossing the Sitabinjh-Basantapur railway line under the Keonjhar forest division, when a goods train was en route from Jakhapura to Keonjhar. Upon seeing the large tusker crossing the track on the Down line between km number 80/18-16, train drivers Depak Kumar Barik and Satyaranjan Sahu immediately sounded the horn and applied emergency brakes to stop the train. They waited till the elephant safely crossed the railway track from one side to the forest area on the other side.“We are getting cautious while crossing the forest area, but today it was a great experience when we saw a tusker roaming in the forest suddenly crossing the line. From a distance, we stopped the train and waited for it to safely cross into the forest,” said the loco pilots.Later, the train driver informed in writing at Basantapur station in the Khordha railway division. Local residents appreciated that an accident could be averted due to the alertness of the loco pilots. “Hence, both the loco pilots should be rewarded for their actions, raising the interest in wildlife protection among railway workers,” opined a resident.The forest department has identified elephant movement paths along the long stretch of train tracks passing through forested areas in Keonjhar district, and installed caution boards.In those areas, locomotive pilots have been warned to take precautions while driving trains, such as slowing down and blowing the horn to avoid accidents. Despite precautionary measures issued earlier, several accidents occurred, causing injury and death to elephants. Many sections of the Tamaka-Banspani railway line, such as Nayagada-Jurudi, Sitabinjh-Basantpur, Basantpur-Ramchandrapur and Harichandanpur-Tangiriapal are identified as elephant movement areas.
