The Gujarat Forest Department has implemented an advanced speed monitoring system along a critical 1-kilometer stretch of State Highway 26 in an initiative to protect the Asiatic lions of Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (GNPWLS) and ensure the safety of motorists. This stretch, which intersects the natural habitat of these majestic creatures, has been equipped with high-tech thermal and optical cameras, as well as a comprehensive speed monitoring network.
Pilot project
As part of this pilot project, the Forest Department has installed a total of 54 cameras and 20 LED display units along the 1-km stretch extending from the Vavaniya Ness forest check-post on the western edge of GNPWLS. The installation includes 16 thermal and optical cameras, eight pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, and four automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. These devices form the core of the newly implemented Gir Speed Monitoring System (GSMS), which also incorporates four speed guns and four strobe lights to enhance its functionality.
Gir Speed Monitoring System (GSMS)
The GSMS is controlled by a central unit integrated with the Gir Hi-Tech Monitoring Unit, located in Sasan, approximately 10 kilometers from the sanctuary’s headquarters. This integration is facilitated through a dedicated network of cables, ensuring real-time monitoring and quick response capabilities. The Forest Department highlighted these advancements in a statement issued on Saturday.
The implementation of the GSMS comes in response to a series of tragic incidents involving the deaths of Asiatic lions due to vehicular accidents. In November 2021, a sub-adult lion was fatally struck by a truck near Goradka village on the Savarkundla-Mahuva highway within the Gir (East) Wildlife Division. Earlier, in March 2021, a lioness met a similar fate near Pipavav port in Rajula, Amreli, within the jurisdiction of the Amreli Social Forestry Division. Most recently, in January of this year, another lioness was killed in a collision with a car near Bagasara town, again in the Amreli Social Forestry Division.
To prevent such incidents, the thermal and optical cameras installed under the GSMS are designed to detect the thermal signatures of any animals, birds, or vehicles approaching or along the highway. Once detected, the system enables the Forest Department to immediately alert drivers to slow down, significantly reducing the risk of accidents involving wildlife.
Speed guns
The speed guns, part of the GSMS, will display the speed of passing vehicles on the LED units along the highway, while the ANPR cameras will capture and record the details of vehicle registration plates. This combination of technologies aims to curb the menace posed by speeding vehicles, ensuring the safety of both wildlife and humans.
According to Forest Department officials, the project, which has been in the testing phase for the last two months, represents a significant investment of approximately ₹1 crore. The department is optimistic that the GSMS will effectively address the dangers that speeding vehicles pose to the region’s wildlife.
GNPWLS, located within the Junagadh Wildlife Circle, along with other protected areas in the districts of Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar, is the world’s only natural habitat for Asiatic lions. Despite its vital role in the conservation of this endangered species, GNPWLS is crisscrossed by several state highways—26, 33, 98, and 104—posing a constant threat to the safety of these lions.
