Yr later, Goa again seeks Centre’s nod for forest diversion to double-track Kulem-Madgaon line

Panaji: Goa has moved a second request before the Union environment ministry’s Regional Empowered Committee (REC), Bengaluru, to allow diversion of forest for the Kulem-Madgaon railway double-tracking project. In March last year, the REC had rejected Goa’s request to revoke the abeyance order disallowing diversion of 15.6ha of forest land for the Kulem-Madgaon double-tracking work.

Now, the state, along with Goa’s forest department for (South Western Railway) Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), has again attempted a request revocation of the abeyance order on the forest diversion. The request will come up shortly before REC for discussion.

Last year, the committee not only rejected the request by state govt but also directed it and RVNL to expand their scope of study for the proposed Kulem to Kalem section as well, “as it is also part of Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary”.

The contention of the user agency, RVNL, before the REC was that the orders of Supreme Court staying approvals for the railway double-tracking project were only binding for the proposal from Castlerock to Kulem. The REC did not accept this argument.

In Goa, out of the 138.3ha proposed, 1.9ha is private forest land, 14.4ha is in Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, 113.8ha is in Bhagwan Mahavir National Park, and the remaining 8.2ha area falls in the North Goa forest division.

The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife had recommended the proposals of the Goa portion and Karnataka portion in its meeting held on Dec 17, 2019, and Jan 5, 2021, respectively.

After the Goa Foundation approached Supreme Court, the Central Empowered Committee of the court recommended revocation of permission granted by the NBW’s standing committee for doubling of the railway track passing through the ecologically-sensitive Western Ghats from Tinaighat-Castlerock in Karnataka to Kulem in Goa, involving 120.8ha of land from Bhagawan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa and 10.5ha in Karnataka.

The matter was referred to the ministry's regional office on May 12, 2022, and the ministry had issued directions to keep in abeyance the approval issued by the regional office.