Cuttack: Four forest officials were on Wednesday suspended on charges of dereliction of duty, which resulted in the killing of four elephants, including a calf, by the Howrah-Mumbai Mail at an unmanned crossing in the Bagdihi forest range of Jharsuguda district on Monday.

The accident had taken place at Teladihi level crossing.

Jharsuguda divisional forest officer Sushant Kumar suspended forester Basant Pradhan and three forest guards - Sunil Bhue, Biswanath Pradhan and Rohit Mjahi. He has also written to the Jharsuguda railway station manager, seeking action against railway employees, including the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the train.

Wildlife activists have urged for better co-ordination between the East Coast Railway and the state forest department to prevent elephants' death on tracks. They said the frequency and number of trains in the mining areas of the state had gone up sharply.

According to Wildlife Society of Orissa, on an average, nearly 100 trains ply every day between Meramandali and Sadashivpur stations in Dhenkanal district, which has regular movement of elephants.

"It is unfortunate that the recommendations of a forest ministry-formed committee are not being apparently followed," society secretary Biswajit Mohanty said.

After the horrific incident of December 29-30, 2012, in which five elephants were mowed down by the Coromandel Express at Subalaya in Ganjam district, the ministry set up a three-member enquiry committee. After four months, a similar incident took place at Nambira in Keonjhar, where four jumbos died.

The committee enquired into the Rambha train kill and recommended several suggestions to prevent it.

"Had the recommendations been strictly followed, the Sunday tragedy could have been prevented," Mohanty said.

According to the society, 22 elephants had died on tracks since 2011.

"The forest department and the railway authorities were apparently well aware about this spot being a regular elephant corridor and nothing was done to prevent more deaths," he said.