The Gujarat High Court has mandated that the railway authority and the forest department establish a standard operating procedure to mitigate incidents of Asiatic lions being struck by trains, asserting an intolerance towards the daily loss of these big cats due to the negligence of Railways.
Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal emphasized that numerous lions have perished due to train collisions in Gujarat, attributing it to Railway negligence, and stressed the imperative of reducing such occurrences to zero.
“We are not going to tolerate that you are killing them every day,” CJ Agarwal reprimanded the lawyer representing the Indian Railway.
Taking suo motu cognizance of lion fatalities on railway tracks, the HC expressed dissatisfaction with the Railway’s response regarding two lion deaths in January. It mandated coordinated action between the railway authority and forest officials to safeguard the lions, which are a national pride.
In its order, the court noted the report by the amicus curiae, which highlighted Rail Vikas Nigam Limited’s repeated attempts to convert the meter gauge line into broad gauge near Gir Sanctuary, the habitat of Asiatic lions.
“It is stated that the forest department had written to the Railways to not proceed with the project without the National Board for Wildlife’s (NBWL) approval. It is further stated that there is an understanding with railway officials that state wildlife board and NBWL approval is unnecessary when there is no land acquisition for the project,” the court stated.
The report raised concerns that gauge conversion would increase train traffic along the route, further endangering the lions.
“No justification has been provided by the Railway for the necessity of converting the railway line on such routes,” the Court remarked.
The report suggested the railway should devise measures to halt the movement of goods trains from sunset to sunrise since lions are nocturnal animals, primarily active during the night.
Quoting the report, the HC noted that lions’ vision is six times more potent than humans, but sudden train lights blind them, leading to accidents.
The report highlighted broken or removed fencing along the railway tracks, allowing lions onto the tracks.
“The railways and state government, in coordination, should reinstall fencing/barricades along the railway track and explore the possibility of extending them throughout the sanctuary and nearby areas up to at least 100 km to prevent such accidents in the future,” it recommended.
