Environmental Crisis In Making: Wildlife Board Gives Nod To Rail Tracks Through Western Ghats
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its approval to Tinaighat-Castlerock-Caranzol railway doubling project. The project is controversial since it is expected to involve diversion of 10.45 ha of forest land in Dandeli wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka¡¯s Western Ghats.
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its approval to Tinaighat-Castlerock-Caranzol railway doubling project.
The project is controversial since it is expected to involve diversion of 10.45 ha of forest land in Dandeli wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka¡¯s Western Ghats, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Union environment minister, Prakash Javadekar, tweeted, "Happy to inform that in its 60th meeting, NBWL has recommended the proposal for Tinaighat-Castlerock-Caranzol Railway doubling of southwestern railways, Karnataka with certain mitigation measures as advised by the Wildlife Institute of India."
Happy to inform that in its 60th meeting NBWL has recommended the proposal for Tinaighat-Castlerock-Caranzol Railway doubling of South Western Railways, Karnataka with certain mitigation measures as advised by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. #conservation #wildlife
¡ª Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) January 6, 2021
The project comes in wake of saturation of single railway track given the increase in industries and tourists.
According to a report on the environment ministry¡¯s Parivesh website, the area covering both Kali Tiger Reserve and Anshi Wildlife Division, harbours tigers, leopards, gaur, sambar etc and is endemic to Castlerock Night Frog.
Massive objection to railway track
The State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) of Karnataka gave its nod to the 20-year-old rail line project which had been rejected several times earlier citing the irreparable damage it could do to the fragile ecosystem.
The location of the proposed Hubballi-Ankola railway line. Image: Poornesha H.C.
The proposed rail track will pass through a wildlife corridor between Bedthi Conservation Reserve (BCR) and Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR), a natural habitat for many species, including tigers and elephants.
It is estimated that some 1.9 lakh trees will be cut for the project.
Scientists say the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot has already lost 33,000 square kilometres (km), or up to 40% of its forest cover, in the last 100 years.
