Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj on Sunday trekked along the railway lines A and B on Madukkarai Forest Range to inspect the measures taken to prevent elephants getting hit by trains.
In a statement, he said the slope along line A was extremely steep and fragile and could be potentially dangerous to elephants or other mammals if they attempt to cross over. He observed that both the railway lines contained a large amount of debris and plastic wastes, which could be potentially dangerous to the wild animals.
Mr. Niraj said that the stone mining site inside the reserve forest of Madukkarai Forest Division should be a part of the ‘Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area’ as it is falling right on the migratory paths of the elephants and other wild animals which are already under severe stress due to high frequency of trains running on both tracks A and B. The Forest Department has increased the number of field trackers in the area from nine to 18 and has improved the single watch tower along the railway line B, he said. District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division T.K. Ashok Kumar and other officials were also present.
