CM opposes Akola-Khandwa railway project as it requires 160ha forest land

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has opposed a project proposed by the railways ministry to upgrade the 176-km-long Akola-Khandwa railway line, on grounds that it

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has opposed a project proposed by the railways ministry to upgrade the 176-km-long Akola-Khandwa railway line, on grounds that it passes through Melghat tiger reserve and requires over 160 hectares (ha) of forest land. Thackeray in a letter to Union railway minister Piyush Goyal and Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar requested them to consider alternative alignment of the railway line outside the tiger reserve as the proposed one would result in long-term detrimental impact on the habitat of tigers and wildlife.

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The project involves conversion of the metre-gauge line to a broad-gauge line along the stretch.

Melghat is among the first nine tiger reserves declared in 1973-74. Home to 35 tigers, it is spread across an area of 2,768.52 square km (sqkm) and is a part of Satpura-Maikal landscape which has the distinction of being one of the global priority tiger conservation landscapes.

Thackeray, in his letter, said the proposed project passes through the core critical tiger habitat of the tiger reserve. The proposal includes open cutting of tunnels, which involves cutting and blasting of rocks using heavy machinery and explosives. It also involves realignment away from the existing track to ease sharp curves on 23.48-km of the total 38-km stretch passing through the core area of the reserve.

“This amounts to realignment and not just gauge conversion on the existing railway track,” he said.

Considering the long-term irreversible impacts of gauge conversion on endangered species like tiger and their habitat, it would be appropriate to focus on alternative alignments which would not only ensure much more space for the wildlife but bring railway connectivity and greater economic developments to hitherto unconnected villages located in Jalgaon-Jamod and Sangrampur talukas (Buldhana district), benefitting almost 100 villages in the vicinity, said the chief minister.

The chief minister further pointed out said 13 villages were rehabilitated away from the core area, following which wildlife has substantially increased. “The project would reverse the benefits accrued from rehabilitation and habitat development,” he wrote.

The project, which received approval from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in January 2017, was challenged before a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) constituted by the Supreme Court. NBWL was then directed to review its decision, given the impact of diverting 160.94 hectares of forest land for the project within the Wan Sanctuary of Melghat tiger reserve.

Following this, NBWL revoked permission for the project in February 2019, citing the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) view that the railway line would run through a tiger reserve, thus impacting sensitive ecology.

NBWL is the highest decision-making body of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) on projects involving national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has also recommended that the best mitigation for the railway line is avoiding upgradation through the tiger reserve and opting for alternative alignments, the CM said.

The railway ministry, however, is of the view that the land was owned by the railways before 1980, the year the Forest (Conservation) Act, was passed, and hence the act did not apply to the land as it was under non-forest use prior to 1980. It will not be applicable on doubling of track and gauge conversion projects, the officials said.

Prasad Khale, an environmentalist associated with Conservation Action Trust (CAT), who had moved CEC against the project, welcomed the CM’s move and said they would also challenge the project if the railway and environment ministries go ahead with it.

“We welcome CM’s decision. I don’t understand why the railway and environment ministries are again pushing it when it was already rejected by CEC, NTCA and NBWL. Even WII has said that changing the alignment is the best possible option. We will definitely challenge if the ministries go ahead with the project,” Khale said.

He said that providing corridor to tigers for free movement is more important because if the number of tiger increases only in protected areas and they are not able to move outside then it will lead to more conflicts.

Recently, state environment and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray opposed the Central government’s proposal to conduct coal mining at a site near Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district. He has urged the Union environment minister to withdraw the proposal while flagging concerns that allowing mining activities at the proposed site would harm TATR.