NEW DELHI: Karnataka could possibly have the solution to save elephants from getting knocked down by trains at a time when an alarmed Supreme Court has summoned forest and railway secretaries to seek answers on the routine death of pachyderms on railway tracks in eastern states.On December 13, a bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and A K Sikri had ordered the railway ministry to slow down all trains on 1,600 km of tracks passing through reserve forests.This order came on a petition filed by Shakti Prasad Nayak, who through advocate Sanjeeb Panigrahi, had provided year-wise data of elephant mortality on railway tracks, and sought immediate remedial measures after a herd of elephants were mowed down by a train on January 5.Responding to the affidavit, Karnataka government betrayed a sense of pride as it said: “Karnataka is host to the largest number of elephants in the country accounting for nearly 20% of its elephant population, yet there has not been a single instance of elephant death due to collision with trains.”The elaborate measures implemented by the state in the last five years included digging and maintaining elephant-proof trenches of cumulative length of over 500 km, installing and maintaining 600 km of solar fencing and keeping active anti-depredation squad engaged for sending stray elephants back into forests.The state said it spent just Rs 14 crore on these measures, effectively protecting elephants from getting knocked down by speeding trains. “Karnataka has already adopted and implemented policies regarding welfare and safety of elephants. In consequence thereof, the elephant population in the state has increased to 6,200 as per census conducted in 2010,” it said.The railway ministry had informed the court that 77 cases of elephant deaths by train hits had been reported since 2007 and also about the remedial measures, including development of a wireless animal tracking system, it was contemplating.The bench in its December 13 order had said: “Considering the importance of the matter and in order to examine the steps taken in the state of West Bengal and all over the country, we direct the personal presence of the secretary, ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), and one senior official of the railway, equivalent to the rank of secretary, who are well conversant with these matters, in this court on January 21, 2014.”