Sir,

A news item last month mentioned that the Chief Secretaries of two States, namely Karnataka and Kerala, have reached an agreement on the Railway line between Mysuru and Thalassery via a part of Kodagu.

The proposed line is supposed to physically circumvent the Nagarahole National Park by routing via Manandavadi, Kutta, Balele and Thithimathi. From Thithimathi, the line is supposed to continue to Periyapatna and at this place it would join the proposed Mysuru-Kushalnagar new Railway line. Thus the two Chief Secretaries have smartly killed two birds in one shot by saying that the new line will cause minimum ecological damage !

Col. C.P. Muthanna of Coorg Wildlife Society in a rejoinder has strongly opposed any Railway line cutting across Kodagu district. According to him, high tension power line and other man-made projects have already devastated tens of thousands of trees. The new Railway line will further increase the man-animal conflict.

Similarly, K.C. Biddappa has predicted that if the Railway line is built, it would be a “death-knell” to Kodagu. I fully endorse both the views and would like to add further arguments in their support:

1. At present, there are already six Railway lines across the Western Ghats. In addition, there are over two dozen National and State Highways plus umpteen other roads across the Ghats. Along with this, there are a few more power transmission lines. I think we have devastated the nature enough to already affect the rainfall, fauna and flora on both sides of the Ghats. Let us not spoil it anymore.
2. It is obvious that the new line will benefit the people of North Kerala more than those of Kodagu or Mysuru districts. There is no logic why Kodagu district should suffer for the benefit of others.
3. This new line will attract more real estate sharks to spoil the natural beauty of this quiet district.
4. The people of Thalassery area can easily travel a hundred or so kilometers to the north, to Mangaluru and catch a train to Mysuru or Bengaluru. In addition, the new International Kannur Airport should also serve the needs of this region.

Finally, if the Kodavas really want a rail connection to the rest of India, my earnest suggestion is to connect Krishnarajanagara Station to Kushalnagar, a distance of about 40 kilometers by a new rail line. Krishnarajanagara is connected by train to Mysuru, Hassan, Mangaluru and Bengaluru. Thus Kushalnagar will be the rail head for the hill station of Madikeri just like what Dehradun is to Mussoorie.

To answer my initial question, my reply is an emphatic NO.

– U.B.Acharya, Jayalakshmipuram, 13.12.2017

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