A delegation from the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) has arrived in Bangladesh to exchange knowledge on elephant protection, risk mitigation, and tourism integration measures implemented under the Bangladesh Railway’s DCRP project. As part of the visit organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), an introductory meeting was held on Monday (27 October) at the conference room of the General Manager (East) office in CRB, Chattogram. The meeting was chaired by Md Shubkatgeen, General Manager (East) of Bangladesh Railway.

During the meeting, speakers highlighted that special design measures have been incorporated in the Dohazari–Cox’s Bazar Railway Project to ensure unhindered movement of wild elephants along their natural corridors. These include:

Dedicated elephant by-pass roads

Corridor-based underpass/overpass structures

Trained mahout teams and emergency response units

Warning signages and smart monitoring devices

Real-time instructions integrated into train operation control

These measures have already been implemented and are currently under field-testing, significantly reducing risk both for railway operations and for elephant movements in forest areas, according to officials at the meeting.

The Bhutanese delegation appreciated the innovative practices applied in the project, noting that the combined approach of community engagement, wildlife protection, and tourism integration has made this initiative a reference model for policy discussions in South Asia. The delegation is scheduled to conduct a field visit to the Dohazari–Cox’s Bazar rail corridor and elephant crossing areas to observe the interventions firsthand.

Representatives from ADB expressed that such cross-country experience-sharing will open new avenues of cooperation in future development planning. The meeting concluded with an announcement of the delegation’s field visit schedule.