FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024
Team Herald
An AI-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is set to be deployed along the extensive railway tracks of North Bengal in response to the tragic deaths of three elephants in Alipurduar following a train collision. The region's railway network intersects crucial elephant corridors, initiating urgent measures to prevent such incidents.
Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Ray of West Bengal highlighted the successful installation of IDS as a pilot project covering a 37-kilometre stretch between Nagrakata and Madarihat in the Alipurduar district. Notably, this section witnessed no accidents after the system's implementation. Ray emphasized plans to extend this safeguarding technology across the entire 158-kilometre track between Siliguri and Alipurduar by June 2024.
The IDS relies on sensor-based technology capable of detecting wildlife movement, instantly alerting control offices, station masters, gatemen, and locomotive pilots. Developed jointly by the Northeast Frontier Railway and the state forest department, this indigenous system earned recognition, winning the PMI South Asia award for micro-project of the year in September 2023.
Highlighting the criticality of the initiative, it was noted that apart from the towns of Alipurduar and Siliguri, elephants frequently traverse the railway tracks across the entire 158-kilometer stretch in North Bengal. This region comprises forests and tea estates, forming crucial passageways for the wildlife population.
With West Bengal accounting for 26 out of India's 150 elephant corridors, making up 17% of the total, the urgency to protect these routes is paramount. North Bengal alone is home to approximately 488 elephants, while South Bengal hosts 194, emphasizing the need for comprehensive measures to ensure their safety amidst human-inhabited areas.
