A central team visited Uttara Kannada district on Tuesday to assess the pros and cons of the Hubballi-Ankola rail line project.
The team has been constituted on the directions of the High Court and comprises experts and officers from prestigious institutions of the country.
The team members visited the dense forest area where rail tracks are proposed to be laid, and obtained information about the local geography from the forest department officials. They discussed the technical details of the tunnels proposed on the route and inspected the track route in Ankola and Yallapur taluks.
The team sought clarification on the possible adverse effects of the rail project on the environment - movement of tigers and the elephant corridor.
An officer in the team said that the members obtained information on the possible growth in wildlife population in the area in the next five decades.