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Chakradharpur Railway Division has canceled five pairs of MEMU and passenger trains on December 18 and 19 due to the continuous movement of wild elephants on the railway track. In view of security, services on Tatanagar, Rourkela and Jharsuguda routes will be affected. Railways has taken this precautionary step to ensure the safety of passengers and wildlife.
Rupesh Pradhan/Chaibasa: The activity of herds of wild elephants on various railway sections under Chakradharpur Railway Division of Jharkhand has increased the concern of the Railway Administration. In view of the continuous movement of elephants around the railway track and between the tracks, Railways has taken a major decision keeping in mind the safety of passengers and wildlife. The Railway Board has temporarily canceled five pairs of MEMU and passenger trains on December 18 and 19.
Movement of elephants has become a big challenge. According to the information, for the last few days, a large herd of elephants has been camping on the railway tracks passing through Chaibasa and surrounding forest areas. Often these elephants cross the tracks at night and early in the morning, due to which there is a possibility of collision with the train. There have been many such tragic incidents in the past in which elephants have lost their lives and trains have also met with accidents. To avoid this risk, Railways has decided to stop the operation of trains as a precautionary measure.
List of canceled trains (18th and 19th December): As per the official information released by the Railways, the following five pairs of trains will not be derailed for the next two days:
Train No. 68025/68026: Chakradharpur-Rourkela-Chakradharpur MEMU Train.
Train No. 68043/68044: Tatanagar-Rourkela-Tatanagar MEMU Train.
Train No. 68029/68030: Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Rourkela MEMU Train.
Train No. 18175/18176: Hatia-Jharsuguda-Hatia MEMU Train.
Train No. 58151/58152: Barsuwan-Birmitrapur-Barsuwan Passenger Train.
Due to the cancellation of these MEMU and passenger trains, daily commuters, small businessmen and employed people are facing the most problems. These trains running between Tata, Chakradharpur, Rourkela and Jharsuguda are considered the lifeline of local transport. Due to sudden cancellation of trains, crowd of passengers is being seen at the stations. People have to resort to private buses or taxis for alternative transportation, which is proving to be quite expensive.
Railways and Forest Department keep a close watch. Officials of Chakradharpur Railway Division say that they are in constant touch with the Forest Department. The location of the elephant herd is being monitored. As soon as the signal is received from the Forest Department that the track is safe, the operation of trains will be normalized again. Railways has appealed to the passengers to check the status of trains through helpline numbers or official website before starting their journey.
