Trains cannot be stopped abruptly on sighting elephants crossing the railway track, the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) has said.
In a letter to Kerala Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, the association said that applying the emergency brakes would bring a loaded train to a halt only after a distance of 1.6 km.
Pointing out that the railway tracks were declared protected areas and owners of domestic animals would have to be held punishable for trespassing on the track by their animals, the association said effective measures should be taken by the authorities concerned as regards protecting wild animals from getting hit by trains.
