“People For Animals” stop trains to protest against animals’ killings in Dooars forest region
June 5th, 2010 - 9:39 pm ICT by ANISiliguri (West Bengal), June 5 (ANI): People For Animals (PFA), a non governmental organization of north Bengal, on Saturday blocked the movement of the two trains, as they wanted to draw public attention to the death of animals caused by speeding trains in the Dooars forest region.
The activists want the local authorities to undertake preventive measures to save their lives.
Two elephants have been killed in just two days recently in the Dooars forest of Jalpaiguri region.
“In North Bengal’s Dooars region, wild elephants and bison are getting killed by trains. These kinds of incidents are rising day by day. We are very much worried by this. To protest about these killing we have stopped Kanchankanya train at Siliguri junction,” said Siliguri unit’s People for Animal spokesperson Rajkumar Sharma.
The railways have been asked to maintain a speed limit of 25 kilometres per hour in an area of 45 kilometers that has been marked as elephant zone.
“We are from People For Animals (PFA) organization and we are here to give memorandum to Siliguri station area manager. Leaving elephant corridor in jungle area fencing should be done, high power search light facility should be provide at night, and beside human patrolling train speed should be reduced to 20 km in the region, these are our demands. If our demands are not met so in coming days we will intensify the protest with other organizations,” said Sharma.
The rail track was laid along the 65-kilometer stretch of the Doars region from Sevoke to Alipurduar region in 2004 and since then 17 elephants have been killed.
Wild elephants, in search of food, usually attack agricultural fields in the forest villages, forcing the villagers to put electric fencing around their lands.
Experts claim that massive deforestation; poaching and people encroaching upon forest corridors have forced elephants to move out of their natural habitats in search of food and water.
Over 50 per cent of Asiatic elephants, considered to be among the most intelligent animals, live in India. (ANI)
- Hit by train, another elephant dies - Jul 04, 2011
- Elephant hit by train dies, another very critical - Jul 01, 2011
- Two elephants hit by train in north Bengal - Jun 26, 2011
- Centre's decision to confer 'National Heritage' status on elephants welcomed - Oct 29, 2010
- Elephants wreak havoc in Siliguri's tea garden - Dec 04, 2010
- Mamata Banerjee expresses anguish over death of elephants in West Bengal - Sep 24, 2010
- Mamata regrets mowing down of elephants by train - Sep 24, 2010
- One tusker killed, one critically injured as trains hit them - Nov 16, 2010
- Railways not responsible for elephant deaths: Mamata - Nov 16, 2010
- Railways blames elephants for straying - Sep 24, 2010
- PFA activists protest against elephants killing - Mar 04, 2010
- Theme based Christmas cakes herald social messages in Siliguri - Dec 23, 2010
- NGO concerned over elephant deaths on railway tracks - Sep 15, 2010
- Ramesh to visit site where train killed tuskers - Sep 28, 2010
- PETA moots speed guns against trains that kill tuskers - Oct 05, 2010
Tags: agricultural fields, electric fencing, elephant corridor, forest region, forest villages, jungle area, kilometer stretch, local authorities, massive deforestation, natural habitats, non governmental organization, north bengal, preventive measures, public attention, rajkumar, search light, train speed, two trains, west bengal, wild elephants