Mysuru:  Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha met Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru this morning and requested him not to bow to pressures from the Kerala Government regarding the proposed Thalassery-Mysuru Railway line that will pass through lush green forests in South Kodagu.

In a letter to Kumaraswamy, Pratap Simha said that it was clear that by pushing the environmentally-destructive project, the Kerala Government was aiming at destroying the land and eco-space of Kodagu. The project will destroy over two lakh trees and will pass through 65 kilometres of green belt in Kodagu, he said.

“The project is opposed by Karnataka and we elected representatives (MLAs and MP of Kodagu), residents of Kodagu and environmental activists have made our stand clear that the project will not be allowed at any cost. Still, the Kerala government is insisting on the project that will literally destroy the Nagarahole National Park through which the line passes,” Simha told Kumaraswamy.

Pointing out that the systematic cutting of trees to implement projects in Kodagu over the years has led to deficient rainfall and depletion of water in River Cauvery, Simha told the CM that the project will only benefit Kerala and the people of Kodagu and Karnataka would pay a heavy price for it.

“In the Cauvery River catchment area, spread over Western Ghats including parts of Kodagu, several projects such as two Railway lines and a couple of National Highways, are in the offing and all of them are destructive to forest ecosystems, and that too benefiting only the adjoining Kerala State,” Simha said.

Responding positively to the MP, the CM told him that he would look into the issue and will consider the representation.