Pipavav: A pride of approximately 10 lions had a tight escape on Monday morning while sitting in the midst of the railway tracks near Pipavav Port. Thanks to the freight train loco pilot who applied the emergency brakes after detecting a pride of lions on the tracks.
The Bhavnagar Division of Western Railway is making ongoing efforts to save lions and other wildlife. According to the Railway Board's instructions, the loco pilots operating the trains are working at the prescribed speed and with extreme caution.
The sequence of events
According to Bhavnagar Division Senior DCM Mashook Ahmad, loco pilot Mukesh Kumar Meena was heading a freight train from Pipavav Port Station to Pipavav Port Siding when he noticed a pride of lions on the tracks and deployed the emergency brakes to halt the train.
After a while, he noticed that all of the lions had moved off the track. In total, there were 10 lions. A loco pilot directed the train to the Pipavav port siding after the lions had left the track. The Loco Pilot alerted Divisional Office Control about the situation. The Western Railway's Bhavnagar Division has implemented a number of safeguards to protect lions from being hit by trains.
Divisional Railway Manager Raveesh Kumar stated that the division has issued severe speed control directives to loco pilots. They have been directed to use extreme caution in forest areas such as Dhasa to Pipavav, Gadhakada to Vijpadi, Rajula City to Pipavav Port, and Rajula to Mahuva sections, as well as to sound the horn and maintain speed restriction control, as public pilots do.
When a problem is discovered, the Railway Administration issues precautionary orders. The forest department and railway administration are actively monitoring lions' movements along the railway track.
