The Palakkad Division of the Southern Railway has installed 25 solar-powered lights on the twin single lines ‘A’ and ‘B’ between Walayar and Ettimadai railway stations to improve the visibility of loco pilots and distract wild elephants from entering the track.
According to the Palakkad Division, solar-powered lights of seven watts were installed at 25 locations in the section, including the plain area as well as in the mouth of the cuttings. Of these, 20 locations are on line ‘A’ and the remaining five on line’ B’. Official sources said that the installation works have been completed.
Places where elephants were hit by moving trains in the past, including the section on ‘A’ line near Walayar wherethree elephants were mowed down by a Chennai-bound night train onNovember 26, 2021, have also been covered. The loco pilots of the train had claimed that they could not locate elephants from a distance due to poor visibility.
The 25 lights that were installed between Walayar and Ettimadai are in addition to 20 lights that were fixed on line ‘B’ between Walayar and Kanjikode in the Kerala side.
T. K. Ashok Kumar, District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division, welcomed the installation of solar-powered lights on the Tamil Nadu side of line A and B.
He said that Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj walked the entire section of line A and B on the Tamil Nadu side on February 6 and had given instructions to improve safety of elephants.
