Safe underpass to skip rail line awaits jumbos

COIMBATORE: More than a fortnight after the Southern Railway’s first elephant underpass in Coimbatore was thrown open, the pachyderms are seemingly ‘apprehensive’ over using the new pathway.

Even though elephants continue to move around and cross over the track by their accustomed pathways, they haven’t passed through the underpass yet.

“There are traces of animals like Indian Gaur to have started using the underpass, but so far there are no sightings of elephants. A camera trap has been fixed in the spot to record the movement of elephants as and when they get into the underpass,” said P Santhiya, Madukkarai Forest Range Officer.

Even though construction of the underpass got over nearly a month ago, the men and machineries left the spot only two weeks back.

“Several elephants, which frequently crossed the tracks at the spot, stopped coming and are yet to return as they felt disturbed by the construction activity of the underpass. There is only a herd and a single tusker moving on either side of the track almost on a daily basis. It may take some time for all the elephants to come again,” said a forest department staff.

For the time being, the forest department has decided to wait and watch, before trying out any measures like raising barriers on their habituated pathways nearby to divert the elephants into the underpass. Strikingly just nearby the new underpass the railway track runs through on an even surface, where elephants tend to cross regularly.

“If elephants continue to show reluctance, then efforts will be taken to train elephants into using the underpass. For instance, during the driving operations, the elephants can be goaded into the underpass and get them familiarised with the new structure. However, they shouldn’t be forced unnecessarily into the underpass, when they move around in their natural habitat. We are hopeful of elephants using the spacious structure in the near future. It may take some time,” said N Jayaraj, District Forest Officer (DFO) of Coimbatore Forest Division.

Construction of the underpass on the ‘B’ line track between Ettimadai and Walayar, which commenced in the year 2022 at a cost of Rs 7.49 crore was completed recently without stopping the trains passing through the tracks.

With the completion of the first underpass, the railways are also expected to construct a second one, also on the ‘B’ line after the end of this monsoon season.

“The place for construction of a second underpass has been identified and works will commence soon,” said an official.

A total of 11 elephants including five female, four tuskers, one makhna (tuskless male) and an elephant calf have been knocked down by trains since 2008.

They get killed when the elephants cross over the tracks to enter villages in search of food and water.