New Delhi/Mysuru: The controversial Railway Line between Thalassery in Kerala to Mysuru via South Kodagu has been scrapped. An official announcement in this regard will be made in the Parliament tomorrow by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
The Union Government will not take up any project that is harmful to the environment and the Thalassery-Mysuru project is one such plan where lakhs of trees will be cut in Kodagu, destroying the eco-sensitive district, said Piyush Goyal last evening. He was meeting a delegation from Kodagu led by K.M. Chinnappa, a forest officer (now retired) known for his conservation activities.
The Minister told the delegation that he understands the gravity of the situation and has studied the environmental impact. “We will not take up the project,” the Minister assured the delegation.
Speaking to Star of Mysore over phone regarding his meeting with Piyush Goyal, Thamoo Poovaiah of Kodagu Ekikarana Ranga, who was a part of the delegation, he said that the Minister told them that there was a timber lobby in Kerala that was pushing the project. Even some influential politicians in Karnataka and Kerala were in favour of the project.
“The Minister revealed that an MP has raised a question in the Parliament about when Thalassery-Mysuru Railway Line will be implemented. He told us that he (Piyush Goyal) would reply to the MP tomorrow that the Centre would not take up the environmentally destructive project,” Thamoo said.
Further, he said that Union Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar had helped the delegation to meet the Railway Minister. “We met Ananth Kumar at 2.30 pm yesterday and he took us to the Railway Minister at 4 pm. Piyush Goyal was very clear in his approach and told us that the lobby was working to get the project implemented since 1962 under all Railway Ministers,” he said.
Ananth Kumar told us that the Railway Ministry has prepared a detailed reply to the question that has been raised by the MP. “We have even met the Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani and he has said that he will follow the directions of the Minister,” he added.
Praveen Bhargav and H.N.A. Prasad of Wildlife First also were part of the delegation.
Thought keralites knew better than to seek rail route and night travel thru Bandipura reserve. Where is there god’s own country sentiment. Is such care restricted only to their home state while they dont care less for environment in other states? btw their own rivers will run dry if catchment area is destroyed
It’s a good move.
he, he, only until after the elections. It will resurface one year from now…
Scrap it permanently.
Environment first development next and not at the cost of drying rivers and vegetation.
Hehe..You hates Malayalees right? I have seen this mentality in Tamilnadu also. Kannadiga/Kodava/Tamil/Tuluva all hates Malayalees or feel threatened. Had this rail route is from Mangalore or some prominent city in Karnataka and passes through south Kodagu, you fellows will have no problem with that. So, the essence of this anti-railway agenda for Thalassery-Mysore connection is, regionalism, parochialism. It is not environmental issues, if that is the case, then Indian Railways should scrap Mangalore-Hassan line which also pass through the hills. The reason is hatred, suspicion, anger towards Malayalees and Kerala. Bravo!
It good move . We should not disturb our rich biodiversity of Kodagu.
NRI Mallus wants to smuggle Timber & everything available here to Gelf ! No Way ! Mother nature wins ! Let NRI Mallus hoist Tri Color Flag first. They host gelf flags in GCC national days! and cannot do same in India with Tri Color flag.
A very welcoming move. Thanks to the central govt.