RPF asks heads of villages to curb stray animal menace, after cattle-hit incidents of Vande Bharat train

In the wake of multiple incidents of Vande Bharat train colliding with cattle in Gujarat, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has started issuing notices to the heads of the villages located along the route in Maharashtra’s Palghar, asking them not allow the animals roam unattended near the tracks.

According to a report of PTI, the notices warned that if any cattle owner is found to be negligent, then legal action could be taken against him.

The semi-high speed express train service between the capital cities of Gujarat and Maharashtra was launched on September 30 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since its inception, three incidents have taken place in Gujarat in which the train collided with cattle.

Talking to PTI, Western Railway chief spokesperson Sumit Thakur said notices are being issued by the Mumbai division of the RPF to the sarpanchs of the villages, in which the authorities have appealed to the local residents not to let their cattle loiter along the tracks so that such mishaps can be averted. The notices issued to the sarpanchs are preventive in nature, Thakur said.