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Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
3 elephants, including mother & calf, killed by train while being driven away by hula party in Bengal's Jhargram
Three elephants — including a mother and her calf — were killed after being hit by a train in West Bengal's Jhargram district early Friday while a state forest department-backed Hula party was attempting to drive the herd out of a human settlement. The incident occurred near Banstala railway station under the Kharagpur division of South Eastern Railways, around 14 km from Jhargram town, when the herd was crossing the tracks. The Kharagpur-bound Janshatabdi Express hit the animals around 1.45 am. State Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda told The Indian Express, 'It is an extremely sad incident. Personally too, I am very upset. A mother elephant, a calf, and another adult elephant died after being hit by the train. I will visit the spot shortly.' Hansda added that the Railways had been informed hours earlier of an elephant drive in the area. 'At around 11 pm, we alerted the Railways…. despite this, the incident occurred. We have ordered a probe. Unlike in North Bengal, where speed restrictions are in place in elephant corridors as per Supreme Court orders, there are no such rules in South Bengal,' she said. Forest officials later removed the carcasses and cleared the area. The hula party — a group of local youth hired by the state government to drive away elephants that stray into villages and farmlands — had been driving the herd through the area late at night when the animals crossed the railway tracks. Suvrajyoti Chatterjee, secretary of the Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL), an NGO working on reducing human-animal conflict in Bengal, said: 'It is now evident that a more pragmatic, science-backed, and robust conflict management strategy is urgently required.' 'The solution to the complex issue of man-elephant conflict must involve inclusive decision-making, with active participation from all stakeholders including the Forest Department, local communities, independent wildlife experts, railway authorities, civil society, and conservation organizations,' Chatterjee said. In August last year, a pregnant elephant that had strayed into Jhargram town died after it was allegedly attacked with a burning spear by a hula party. In February this year, an elephant was severely injured after villagers in Jalpaiguri chased it with an earthmover. In June, forest officials had launched a probe after fireballs were allegedly hurled at a herd in Jhargram, one of which struck a calf. Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
Time of India
12-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
State launches greening drive with sapling planting
1 2 3 Kolkata: The West Bengal govt has launched an ambitious greening campaign as part of Banmahotsav 2025, with a goal of planting two saplings per person in urban areas and five per person in rural areas. The initiative, described as "unprecedented in scale," aims to combat climate change and environmental degradation across the state. In all, the state is attempting to plant over 40 crore saplings. On Saturday, state forest minister Birbaha Hansda flagged off the celebration by inaugurating awareness tableaus from Aranya Bhaban in Kolkata. The tableaus, which will travel across central, north, and south Kolkata, as well as Salt Lake and New Town, will serve as both awareness vehicles and mobile seedling distribution units. Another tableau was launched from Siliguri. " Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Upto 15% Discount for Salaried Individuals ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo by Taboola by Taboola Climate change is real and accelerating," Hansda told TOI. "Our chief minister Mamata Banerjee has given a clear mandate for extensive greening and expansion of forest cover. But we must also address the rapid loss of greenery in non-forest areas. If each citizen plants just a couple of trees and cares for them for six months, we can create a visible, meaningful change." You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banmahotsav 2025 will be observed across the state from July 14 to July 20, with the state-level event scheduled at Bengal Safari in Siliguri on July 14. In addition, 23 district-level and 2 sub-divisional-level programs will be organised to ensure grassroots participation. Key highlights of this year's Banmahotsav include the free distribution of saplings: two seedlings per individual in urban areas and five in rural areas from all state forest nurseries. Joint patrolling involves collaboration with Joint Forest Management Committees to safeguard forested zones. For tree plantation drives, public participation is being encouraged across schools, municipalities, panchayats, and community groups. "We are asking everyone, particularly people's representatives from all levels, to take part in it," said Hansda. The campaign, spearheaded by the Department of Forests in association with local self-help groups, emphasises not only planting but also protecting trees to ensure long-term ecological benefits.
India Today
07-06-2025
- India Today
Tourists banned in Sundarbans during monsoon to safeguard breeding wildlife
West Bengal's top tourist hotspot, Sundarbans, has been closed to tourists during the entire monsoon season. The Forest Department has announced a complete ban on tourists in the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve from June 15 to September 15, 2025. This annual conservation effort aims to protect the region's wildlife during their breeding months of June, July and August mark the peak mating and nesting period for many species and the closure will provide a disturbance-free environment, boosting reproductive initiative is part of the Integrated Resources Management Plan (IRMP), promoting sustainable and long-term conservation strategies for the area. The seasonal closure will allow the forest to experience a quiet period, essential for ecological recovery. "It's a rule for all core forests in West Bengal and India during this time of the year. We always maintain this rule to provide a disturbance-free environment and boost reproductive success for animals and birds. That's why we have stopped tourists there. The initiative is part of the Integrated Resources Management Plan (IRMP), promoting sustainable and long-term conservation strategies for the area," West Bengal Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda told India Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, estuarine crocodiles, spotted deer and over 290 species of birds. The park also boasts 219 aquatic species and 344 different kinds of plants. This is the third consecutive year of the monsoon-season ban, but with a notable update: the restriction now begins a month earlier than addition to its terrestrial inhabitants, the park is also a haven for aquatic life, with 219 species calling it home. The region's flora is equally impressive, with 344 different kinds of plants thriving in this unique protect this delicate balance, the Sundarbans have implemented a monsoon-season ban for the third consecutive year, starting a month earlier than before to align with the natural rhythms of the forest's Watch
