Hubballi-Ankola railway line: Wildlife board for relook into proposal

In a fresh setback to the long-pending Hubballi-Ankola railway line, the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBW) has directed the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to hold further discussions on the project proposal and steps needed to reduce ecological damage.

The committee, at its recent meeting chaired by Union Minister for Environment and Forests Bhupender Yadav, favoured integrated approach for development of the railway line as well as the proposed highway widening works to mitigate ecological damage.

“It was decided that the ministry shall organise a workshop under the chairmanship of ADG Wildlife, with officials of the Ministry of Railways, National Highways Authority of India, Gati Shakti, Karnataka government and experts from Indian Institute of Technology,