Patna, Jan. 24: Trains speeding along the railway tracks that pass through Valmiki Tiger Reserve are proving to be fatal for its occupants. At least 27 wild animals were run over by them in the past five years.

With no speed limit on the 6km stretch of railway lines between the Valmiki Nagar Road and Chitauni bridge, the reserve authorities cannot lodge FIRs against the drivers of the speeding trains running over the animals. Though turned down several times in the past, the tiger reserve officials have decided to renew their demand for speed limit for trains passing through the tiger reserve. This time, their tool will be a documentary film.

“As our repeated requests in the past failed to draw the attention of the railway officials, we have now decided to pursue them to watch a documentary film On the Right Track. The film talks about the threat to lives of wild animals because of tracks in sanctuaries. It also shows how one can minimise this threat by adhering to the speed limit,” said the Valmiki Tiger Reserve director J.P. Gupta.

The film, made by A.K. Singh of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), has proved its effectiveness in case of Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, which used to witness casualty of elephants on the railway tracks passing through the park.

“On the initiative of WTI, a workshop was organised in which officials of the forest department and the railways took part. The film was screened and it had a huge impact on the railways officials. After the workshop, they fixed a speed limit for trains passing through the park. The number of accidents on the tracks has gone down drastically after that. We expect something similar in the case of Valmiki Tiger Reserve,” Gupta said.

“There are many sanctuaries in the country where the speed limit of trains has been fixed. This gives some teeth to the field officers because they can lodge cases against the drivers if wild animals die because of over-speeding,” Gupta told The Telegraph.

There appears logic in Gupta’s claim as in October 2010, officials of Katernighat Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Uttar Pradesh booked the driver and the guard of a train when five spotted deer lost their lives after coming under a running train.

The officials of the sanctuary lodged the case claiming that the train crossed the speed limit of 30km per hour.

According to official figures, 24 wild animals died after coming under the running trains between 2006 and 2009 in Valmiki Tiger Reserve. In the first seven months of 2010, three wild animals lost their lives on the tracks (see graphics).

In less than five years, 16 neelgais were run over. In 2007 and 2008, five black bulls died in each year. Five cheetals have fallen prey to speeding trains passing through the reserve, while two fishing cats lost their lives under the wheels of trains in the past five years.