GUWAHATI: Quick thinking and coordinated action by forest and railway personnel averted a potentially major accident involving elephants and the Rajdhani Express in Assam on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: New Integrated DC Office Inaugurated in Guwahati’s Rupnagar
According to a post by Kaushik Barua (@Airawat) on X, alert staff from the Lanka Range of the Assam Forest Department, along with the loco-pilot of the 167/8 down Rajdhani Express, worked together with support from the control room in-charge at Lumding Station under Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to prevent the accident on the Habipur railway section.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia praised the effort, calling it "commendable vigilance" and highlighting how quick thinking and coordinated action by the Assam Forest Department and NFR personnel ensured the safe passage of both an elephant herd and the train on the Habipur railway section. He added that the incident was a fine example of how the smallest margins can be secured through the sharpest instincts.
The Habipur section falls along a route known for frequent elephant movement, and such coordinated efforts between forest and railway authorities have been credited with preventing man-animal conflict and accidental elephant deaths in the region.
#WATCH | Days after the Supreme Court's August 17 order mandating a nationwide survey of elephant corridors, ruling that states cannot block traditional wildlife pathways over crop damage, #Assam shows what that protection looks like in practice.
In this video you can see an… pic.twitter.com/eIXcBWZKrx
— GPlus (@guwahatiplus) August 19, 2026