JOIN US The Hubli-Ankola Horata Samiti, which had submitted a memorandum to the three-member team led by Forest and Environment ministry additional principal secretary B P Gangopadhyaya had visited Uttara Kannada and Dharwad districts on December 28 last year to study the proposal for a Hubli-Ankola rail route are aghast at reports that the central team had advised against the rail line as it would affect the fragile biodiversity of the
Western ghats.
Nothing new
“There is nothing new in the Gangopadhyaya committee report. As there are officers from the Forest department in the committee, it is natural that they have concern about the forests. If the animals in the forest face a problem, let them find a different solution,” said the Hubli-Ankola Horata Samiti senior member Vishnu Nayak.
Concern questioned
Speaking to the media, Nayak wanted to know why there was such concern for the biodiversity in the region, while forest in many other parts of the country had been sacrificed for other projects.
Hubli-Ankola Horata Samiti president Ramanand Nayak saw the manganese mine owners lobby behind the latest development.
Convenor Maharudrappa Nelligani said that a rail line could prevent the accidents and deaths that are occurring due to mining lorries on the national highway.”