Madikeri/New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has promised a joint delegation of Kodagu Ekikarana Ranga and Wild Life First organisation about not giving green signal to the proposed railway line between Mysore and Thalassery passing through Kodagu. The question of approval of the proposal does not arise, considering the effects on environmental and wildlife, the minister is understood to have informed the delegation.
The delegation led by K M Chinnappa of Wild Life First met the minister on March 5 at the Rail Bhavan in Delhi. It requested the railways minister to drop the proposal of railway line between Mysore and Thalassery, passing through the ecologically sensitive areas of ??Kodagu district.
Responding to the delegation’s pleas, Goyal said the proposal had been kept pending since 1960, considering the local sensitivities associated with the project.
The construction of the railway line in the region will impact the natural environment and wildlife as in Northeast India, hence the “go ahead” cannot be given, Goyal stated.
Cauvery River, the major source of water for the region, originates in the dense forest area of Kodagu. To protect the natural resources of water and wildlife, the delegation appraised the minister to improvise the road network between South Karnataka and North Kerala, passing through Mysore-Hassan-Mangalore-Thalassery.
