Centre seeks report on death of elephants on railway tracks in Assam's Hojai: Bhupender Yadav
Gosaba (PTI): Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday said the Centre has sought a report on the death of elephants in a collision between a train and a herd of tuskers in Assam’s Hojai district a day ago.
Yadav, the environment, forest and climate change minister, also said all states have been asked to monitor elephant movement along the railway tracks.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting on Project Elephant and the National Tiger Conservation Authority in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, Yadav said, "The railway authorities have been directed to coordinate with the forest departments of states on elephant movement along the tracks. A report on elephant deaths in Assam has been sought."
He said coordination between train drivers and forest officials is essential.
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Eight elephants were killed after a herd of jumbos was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai district early on Saturday. Five coaches and the train's engine also derailed.
"The district magistrates have also been asked to keep forest departments updated on elephant movement along highways," the minister said.
"A team was formed with the DRM Railways, DFO and local people as stakeholders in the area concerned in Assam and in every such locality where elephant habitat and train lines exist," Yadav said.
He said there are 1,100 elephant accident zones or hotspots in the country, where such preventive measures were being taken.
The minister said Rs 112 crore has been allotted for the Sundarbans for the Tiger project in West Bengal and Rs 344 crore for elephants in the last five years.
"But these funds remained mostly unutilised, he alleged.
While the Sunderbans attracts 9.5 lakh tourists annually, the Ranthambore tiger reserve witnesses Rs 18-19 lakh.
"Such a beautiful zone of 2,500 sq km area with rich biodiversity, over 250 bird species, apart from big cats, deer and crocodile, hasn't been projected properly. There must be a balance between ecological concerns and development. This should be looked into by the state," he said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
