Overview

• A joint Environment and Railways ministry survey covering 3,500 km of tracks identified more than 110 sensitive wildlife zones to inform collision prevention strategies.
• Forest officials on the Ranchi–Koderma line are pressing for dedicated elephant crossings on the Barkakana route as part of planned track doubling.
• On June 25, authorities halted a goods train near Sarwaha village between Barkakana and Hazaribagh stations so a pregnant elephant could safely deliver her calf on an active corridor.
• Both the mother elephant and her newborn calf were confirmed healthy by forest officials and have rejoined their herd without injury.
• Jharkhand’s Barkakana–Hazaribagh stretch has seen 474 human fatalities from man–elephant conflicts and 30 elephant deaths since 2019, underscoring calls for wildlife-friendly infrastructure.