Rail Analysis India
Under the Forest Conservation Act, the Union Ministry of Climate, Forest and Environmental Change has granted the approval of nearly 140 hectares of protected Western Ghats Forest land. This is solely done for contentious double tracking of the railway line between the Castlerock Railway Station and the Margao Railway station in South Goa.
The state is to lose 50,000 trees for the task. In a communication with the forest secretary, the MoEF has informed that the consent is being granted based on Goa’s request subject to certain conditions.
The letter of consent was issued on January 27 by Deputy Inspector General of forests M K Shambhu after the regional empowered committee ‘carefully examined’ the proposal.
The diversion of the forest land subject to conditions including transferring of money equal to the net present value of the forest land being diverted to the CAMPA funds for raising, maintaining the compensatory afforestation for the degraded forest land.
The trees are being felled in Goa on the windward side of the Western Ghats. However, the compensatory afforestation for these projects is being done in Sutagatti, Iddalahonda, Ramadurg, Kakati, Suldal, and Shigeholi villages of Gokak and Karkati taluks in Karnataka.
The doubling of the railway line along the existing alignment is being opposed in Goa by some. The line will cut across the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, the two are Goa’s oldest wildlife sanctuaries fearing that besides ecological damage, new construction will destabilise the vulnerable slopes of the Western Ghats mountain range and lead to landslides and other unforeseen consequences.