Railways to prepare new DPR for Hubballi–Ankola line: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that a new detailed project report is being prepared for the long pending Hubballi–Ankola railway line.

The railways also decided to prepare a new DPR for laying double lines in the forest area to avoid repeated disturbances of wildlife, the Minister said in his written answer in Lok Sabha.

Replying to Uttara Kannada BJP Lok Sabha member Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri question, the Minister said, “ Earthwork and bridge works have been completed in Hubballi-Kiravati (47 km) section. However, the further work could not be executed for want of forest and wildlife clearance of 569.64 hectare of forest land and related litigations. Now after resolution of the litigation, it has been decided that the line should be planned with a double line.”

Since the railway line passes through Kali Tiger reserve, the railways recently decided to revise the DPR with minimum damage to forest and wildlife.

Earlier, the railways informed Karnataka High Court that it will prepare a fresh proposal for the project and will take up the project after getting all clearances as per law and adhering to the directions from the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL). The high court was hearing a petition filed by environmentalists who expressed concern over damage to forest if the project was implemented.

The Railways also informed the Court that it will a mitigation plan for the project passing through the forest areas in consultation with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, as per the NBWL’s directive, besides following any other directives from the NBWL and the Ministry of Environment, Ecology and Climate Change, the railways informed the court.