The Karnataka High Court has resolved a set of petitions challenging the Hubli (Hubballi)-Ankola railway line project. This action follows the Indian Railways‘ assurance that they are currently developing a fresh proposal and will only commence work once all requisite permissions are secured.
Hubli-Ankola railway line in Karnataka: Problem Area
The public interest litigations (PILS) challenged the project primarily on the grounds that it could disrupt the tiger habitat in the area. The Deputy Chief Engineer of Construction-1 at South Western Railways in Hubballi submitted an affidavit to the court, in compliance with the directives of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), a PTI report said. The affidavit detailed plans for a mitigation strategy to be formulated in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and the subsequent submission of a new proposal.
The affidavit unequivocally stated that project activities would only commence upon obtaining all necessary legal clearances and approvals.
In response to this development, the Bench, comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal, acknowledged the Railways’ affidavit and, on Thursday, resolved the PILs. The petitioners concurred that their present petitions could be closed temporarily, the PTI report said.
Site Inspection Report showed discrepancies
Additionally, the petitioners presented a site inspection report from the Standing Committee for NBWL and the minutes of the 73rd NBWL meeting. The report said that these documents highlighted numerous discrepancies, ambiguities, and deficiencies in the current project and recommended the Railways to submit a fresh proposal.
Furthermore, an excerpt from the Tiger Census Report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was provided to the court. This report explicitly asserted that the railway line would fragment the tiger habitat in the region, necessitating the adoption of suitable mitigation measures.