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Journalism of Courage
The Supreme Court on Monday set aside the clearance granted by the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) for doubling the railway line from Castle Rock in Karnataka to Kulem in Goa.
A bench presided by Justice L Nageswara Rao accepted the recommendations of the SC-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which in its report dated April 23, 2021 said “that it does not find any justification for the track as it “will destroy the fragile ecosystem of the Western Ghats which is an internationally recognised Biodiversity hotspot and also one of the most important wildlife corridor of the country” and that it “will only be marginally enhancing the capacity of the most inefficient section of the railway network passing through ecologically sensitive and biodiversity rich tiger reserve, two wildlife sanctuaries and a national park”.
The SC added that this will not however preclude Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd to carry out a detailed analysis on the impact of the proposed project on the bio-diversity and ecology of the protected areas under the wildlife sanctuary and then submit a fresh proposal to the standing committee of NBWL which it said shall be considered in accordance with law.
The order came on a plea by the NGO Goa Foundation.
The Standing Committee of the NBWL had cleared three projects — the doubling of the railway track, the four-laning of the NH 4A from Anmod near the Goa-Karnataka border to Mollem and laying of a 400 kv transmission line from Sangod in Goa to the Karnataka border to help meet Goa’s peak electricity demand of 1192 MW by 2022.
The CEC had recommended revoking permission for the railway expansion project, but said the highway expansion could be allowed subject to modifications like expansion of animal corridors and elevated highways in places where animal crossings are frequent.
With regard to the transmission line, the CEC suggested that the existing 220 KV powerline alignment be utilised to lay a new 400 KV line instead of cutting down fresh forest cover.
On April 7, the SC accepted the CEC recommendation to utilise the existing 220 KV powerline alignment, instead of cutting down fresh forest cover, to lay a new 400 KV line as part of the ambitious Goa-Tamnar Transmission project.
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