Curve ahead of accident site hit visibility (Chennai)
Curve ahead of accident site hit visibility (Chennai)
S. Vijay Kumar, The Hindu
December 1, 2021
See link
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/curve-ahead-of-accident-site-hit-visibility/article37780182.ece
for photo.
A curve ahead of the accident spot in the Walayar-Ettimadai section of
Palghat Division where three elephants were fatally hit by the
Mangaluru-Chennai Express on Friday night affected visibility making it
difficult for the loco pilots to apply emergency brakes on seeing the
animals on track.
Though there was no rain or fog, a curve ahead of the accident site made it
difficult for the loco pilots to notice the elephants crossing the railway
track and stop the train before it could hit them. “Due to the curve, the
sighting distance was not enough to apply brakes to avoid such an
incident,” Southern Railway’s spokesperson and Chief Public Relations
Officer B. Guganesan told The Hindu on Tuesday.
The scene of the accident was a designated elephant pathway where there was
a speed restriction for about 15 km on the A-Line. The loco pilots had
stated that the train was run within the prescribed 45 kmph, he said.
Asked whether foot patrolling was done in the section, the official said
that there was no night patrolling since the monsoon patrol ended on
October 15, 2021. On measures being taken to prevent recurrence of such
accidents, Mr. Guganesan said counselling for loco pilots jointly with
forest officials on elephant movement patterns was being planned at crew
depots.
Forest officials investigating the circumstances that led to the incident
have seized the speedometer chip from the locomotive. While no search and
seizure report was handed over to the authorities concerned, there was no
formal communication yet on registering a case against the loco pilots or
seizure of speedometer chip from the locomotive, a senior official said,
adding that the expert support of railway officials was essential to decode
the chip and access the data.
The two loco pilots — M.T. Subair and M.C. Akhil — were booked under the
provisions of Section 9 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 that dealt
with hunting of wild animals. He said though the Act provided for
conducting search, arrest and detention to the authorised officer, the
process had to be conducted as prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure
like conducting the search in the presence of two independent witnesses,
preparing a list of things seized during the search, handing over copy of
the search particulars to the occupant of the place. “We came to know of
the loco pilots being booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act only
through newspaper reports…,” the official who preferred not to be quoted
said.
Meanwhile, the Southern Railway has instructed its loco pilots operating
trains in the Walayar-Ettimadai section of Palghat Division to sound horn
frequently along stretches known for elephant crossing. If the movement of
elephants was noticed, the loco pilot should bring down the speed
immediately and stop the train short of the elephants till they completely
pass the track. In case they noticed the movement of elephants along the
track, they were told to convey it to the nearest Station Master.
Subway for Elephants
All India Loco Running Staff Association president V. Balachandran said
sounding horn was not an effective solution since animals such as
elephants, buffaloes etc., were known for not moving out of the track area
with this stimulus. Operating trains at a lesser speed was also not a
foolproof mechanism since it would be difficult to bring the train to a
complete halt when the elephants are sighted at short distance.
Registering a case against loco pilots would not serve any purpose and
instead the authorities should consider constructing a subway for safe
passage of elephants in areas known for their regular movement.