Rail project runs into a roadblock

Karnataka stalls Kerala’s proposal to develop Thalassery-Wayanad-Mysuru rail line

Citing an adverse report from its Forest Department, the Karnataka government has stalled the ambitious proposal of the Kerala government to develop the Thalassery-Wayanad-Mysuru rail line under Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail), a joint venture company under the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways. Reliable sources told The Hindu that the Karnataka government had pointed out that the ₹5,000-crore project involving the construction of a lengthy tunnel across the Kabani river to save wildlife tracts of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, and the Nagarhole National Park was not feasible. Apart from the rich biodiversity-rich corridor between Nagerhole and Bandipur national parks being harmfully impacted, the sources said the Karnataka Forest Department had also specified that “even if the rail line is constructed through underground tunnels, it can affect water recharge underneath earth, thereby causing severe ecological imbalance to the habitat system.”