A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed before the Supreme Court, requesting a formal program to minimize elephant collisions with trains and a ruling that government authorities have violated fundamental human rights by failing to take appropriate action.
The petition was submitted by a group of environmentalists, including the Centre for Environmental Justice, naming several officials as respondents, including the Director General of Wildlife, the General Manager of Railways, the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Environment, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General (AG).
The petitioners highlight an increasing trend in elephant collisions with trains.
According to the petition, the country’s wild elephant population has declined from 5,879 in the 2011 census to 3,130 in the most recent survey and noted that official records indicate at least 151 elephants have died due to train collisions over the past 13 years.
The petitioners allege that approximately 40 percent of these fatalities involved elephants between the ages of 30 and 40, which has negatively impacted the elephants’ population growth.
Furthermore, the petition identifies the highest number of accidents on the railway line between Welikanda and Punani, where 23 elephant collisions were reported in 2022.
Other frequently affected routes include Ambanpola and Galgamuwa, Gal Oya and Hingurakgoda, and Manampitiya and Welikanda, it said.
Meanwhile, the petitioners argue that these statistics underscore the urgent need for a structured program to reduce elephant-train collisions.
They request the Supreme Court to declare that government authorities have violated fundamental human rights by failing to prevent such incidents.
Additionally, they seek an order directing the respondents to conduct forensic investigations into past collisions, implement speed limits for trains in high-risk areas, and introduce regulations under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance to mitigate elephant-train collisions.
