In order to prevent train-elephant collisions and implement disaster mitigation strategies, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and RailTel Corporation of India inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the installation of an intrusion detection system (IDS).

In the presence of Anshul Gupta, General Manager NFR, and Sanjay Kumar, Chief Managing Director/RailTel Corporation of India. The MoU was signed by G R Das, Chief Communication Engineer, NFR, and Zakir Siddiqui, Executive Director/Eastern Region/Railtel.

It has been decided to gradually install the system in all other elephant corridors spread across N F Railway after the pilot project on IDS that was undertaken by N F Railway in the Chalsa - Hasimara section of the Dooars area under Alipurduar Division in West Bengal and Lanka - Hawaipur section under Lumding Division in Assam was 100% successful.

The technology, which is based on artificial intelligence (AI), would employ existing optical fibres as sensors to find where wild animals are moving and notify control offices, station masters, gatemen, and loco pilots of their whereabouts. To detect the presence of elephants on the track in real time, it uses an acoustic system based on fibre optic technology that operates on the theory of dialysis scattering phenomenon. The AI-based software can track unusual movements over a 60 kilometre stretch. Also, the IDS will aid in spotting rail fractures, trespassing on railroad tracks, and alerting people to the need to mitigate disasters brought on by unauthorised digging next to railroad tracks, landslides next to tracks, etc.

Several elephants whose lives were in danger of being run over by trains as they approached a railroad track have already been saved because to the trial operation.

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