Experts' panel finds major flaws in Hubballi-Ankola rly line plan

A seven-member central experts’ committee constituted by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to look into the proposed Hubballi-Ankola railway line (HARL) has “found gaps/discrepancies and shortcomings in the project proposal” and has recommended that “the proposal in the present form should not be considered.”

The report obtained by DH under RTI says the project will result in the cutting of more trees than the stated 2.2 lakh trees and affect the hydrological system of rivers in the region.

Ten committees have been formed between 2002 and 2022 by courts, union and state governments to assess the proposed railway project, which will pass through 595.64 ha of fragile forests of Western Ghats in the Karwar, Yellapur and Dharwad forest divisions. All the committees have rejected the proposal citing similar reasons.

The current committee, which was formed following the Karnataka High Court's orders, on a writ petition filed by wildlife activist Giridhar Kulkarni, said the total number of trees to be cut for the project could be much higher than the estimated 2.2 lakh as the South Western Railway, the project implementing agency, has not taken into consideration the cutting of trees for laying temporary roads. Officially, the project construction period is eight years.

“The project does not mention the additional demand of forest land for temporary road and transportation of machinery, vehicles, materials and disposal of earth mass in some of these remote areas. It seems that environment and forest loss for construction of additional temporary and permanent roads are missed or underplayed in the project,” says the report.

The seven-member committee, which visited the proposed project site in September 2022, also highlighted the impact of the railway project on the local hydrological system of rivers and streams.

“The project will have an irreversible impact on the fragile ecosystem of Western Ghats and no amount of mitigation measures will be in a position to compensate the huge cost of ecological damage to the region,” the report says and adds that the Gangavali and Bedthi rivers will be impacted the most due to the project.

The committee has also not ruled out the possibility of landslides during monsoon while using heavy machinery for the construction of tunnels.

The revised proposal by the South Western Railway (SWR) in 2016 suggested that the HARL would have 53 major bridges and 240 minor bridges with 25 tunnels and seven railway stations within forests.

The committee warns that the proposed tunnels, which together will be around 38-km long, could become a death trap for tigers, leopards and other wild mammals that enter the railway tunnel in summer in search of a 'cool environment'.

The experts have suggested the railways to explore the scope of integrating the proposed railway line with the existing NH-63, which varies in distance from 0.34 km to 8.6 km from the highway, to minimise the impact on wildlife.

The committee has also recommended an integrated regional policy of highway and railway tracks, connecting the hinterland of Karnataka with its coastal region.

Senior SWR officials said that as they have not received the committee report they will not be in a position to comment on the matter.