Ranchi, Sept. 29: The state forest department today launched a survey along railway tracks that cut through an elephant corridor between Jharkhand and Bengal to map high-risk zones of animal movement three days after an express train mowed down an elephant and its calf near Gautamdhara station in Angara-Silli area, some 30km from the state capital.

Range officer R.K. Singh, who is in charge of Angara, Tupudana, Silli and Mahilong forest stretches, said the study was being conducted jointly with local railway officials, but admitted it was a knee-jerk reaction to Monday's deaths of the calf and its mother.

"We are conducting field trips along railway tracks from Gautamdhara to Kita on the border with Purulia via Gangaghat covering about 45km. The plan is to interact with villagers about elephant movement trends, identify areas that are most risky for them and look at places that need special barricading to minimise both man-animal conflict as well as risk of accidents caused by running trains," Singh told The Telegraph, conceding, however, that it was better to start late rather than never.

The range officer said their study might take a couple of days after which they would think of drawing a safety map of sorts to control elephant movement. "Once we identify the spots, we will immediately begin work to put up large-sized radium signboards warning trains about approaching elephant corridors. The idea is for loco drivers to be able to spot the boards at night so that they can then reduce the speed of the train," Singh explained.

Later on, he added, a few watchtowers could also be considered in addition to taking several other measures in conjunction with the railways.

According forest department sources, around 60-70 elephants reside in Ranchi. Of these, 30-35 were in Angara, Tupudana, Silli and Mahilong pockets. Local residents claimed that as of now 14 herds, two members of which died in the train accident on Monday, were moving around the Jonha region.

Wildlife expert D.S. Srivastava was sceptical of such "stopgap" arrangements.

"It's so ironical that the forest department is always unaware of elephant movement when it is an established fact that man-elephant man conflicts are one of the major issues of the state. Had that not been the case, neither animals or humans would have got killed year after year," he said.

The forest department, Srivastava stressed, should opt for long-term planning and ensure proper coordination between districts and states sharing elephant routes and borders. "But is anyone serious about wildlife in our state?" he sighed.