Jagadish Shettar bats for 'junked' Hubballi-Ankola rail line

Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar on Friday made a strong pitch for the contentious Hubballi-Ankola railway line and urged Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to get the state Wildlife Board to reconsider its decision of dropping the project.

Shettar told the Legislative Assembly that the railway project will help boost industrial activity in north Karnataka.

“The Hubballi-Ankola railway line is very important. I’ve requested the CM that the wildlife committee should review its decision. The CM has agreed to review it,” Shettar said.

Shettar’s pitch for the Hubballi-Ankola railway line came days after the Karnataka State Wildlife Board dropped the controversial project, which the state government had rejected thrice in the past.

The project spanning 168 km linking Hosapete with ports at Belikeri and Tadadi near Karwar in Uttara Kannada district had sought diversion of 596 hectares of forest in the Western Ghats which has Kali Tiger Reserve and other protected areas. The rail line work requires cutting nearly two lakh trees.

Shettar raised the railway line after a prompt by Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde
Kageri.

During the Question Hour, Jamkhandi MLA Anand Nyamagouda (Congress) said the ports at Mangaluru and Karwar need development. “Many sugar industries are depending on the Mumbai port for coal procurement and sugar exports,” he said.

Shettar concurred. “While the Karwar port is already under development, I’ve asked officials to prepare a detailed project report on developing the Belikeri port. All sugar factors have to go to Mumbai for exports. But the Belikeri port will help all north Karnataka industries,” the minister said. “The Hubballi-Ankola rail line along with the Belikeri port will help industrial development in the whole of north Karnataka.”