Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Reduce speed of trains: Gujarat to firm.

TNN Jan 24, 2014, 02.29AM IST
This is the second incident after September last year when a six-month-old lion cub was run over by a goods train near Uchaiya village of Rajula.
The official census in May 2010 had revealed that there were 21 lions in the coastal areas of Una, Kodinar, Sutrapada and Chhara. However, this number has increased sharply. Officials said that during the interrogation, the officials found that the train was moving at a speed of about 50 km per hour.
During the interrogation, the driver of the train said that even if he had applied sudden brakes, the trains would have skidded nearly 10 meters, thus killing the lions.
The officers said that the driver did not apply the sudden but instead applied the normal brake. An offence report has been sent to all concerned officials including the Railways and the Pipavav Railway Corporation Ltd and the forest officials. PRCL is the 50:50 joint venture company of the Indian Railways and the Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd (GPPL), which was set up for the 271-km-long line connecting the port of Pipavav to Surendranagar
Additional chief secretary, forest and environment H K Dash said, "We are taking up the issue with the Railways and the Pipavav Port Trust. The department will also be asked to have fences along the area with opening. At these opening, the driver may reduce the speed," he said.
Principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife, CN Pandey said that after the incident of the killing of one lion within the sanctuary by a local metre gauge train, its speed was reduced. But this is outside the sanctuary area. He further said that the department will initiate dialogue with the port and the railways.
AHMEDABAD: The forest and environment department has decided to write to the Pipavav Railway Corporation Limited (PRCL) to reduce the speed of the goods trains from Rajula to Pipavav. Not less than 50 lions have made this area their permanent home for the past few years.
On Wednesday, in tragic incident two lionesses - one of which was pregnant - were run over by a container train, about 1.5 km from Pipavav port in Amreli district on Wednesday morning. Five lionesses were crossing the railway track between Bherai and Bhachadar village when they were rammed by the train at 6.30 am. Forest department officials told TOI that the one of the lioness that was around seven-years-old was one-month pregnant with three cubs. The other lioness was two years old.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-24/ahmedabad/46562072_1_container-train-pipavav-railway-corporation-limited-railway-track

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