Shri BS Yediyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka,

It is deeply disturbing that the State Wildlife Board has given clearance for the Hubbali Ankola Railway Project.

There was no demand for this project from any quarter, and therefore, this decision raises many questions.

We are concerned about the ecological health of this country. Taking care of the biodiversity is extremely important in the time of global warming and climate change. India boasts close to five percent of worlds biodiversity both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems comprising of innumerable species many of which discoveries are still being done. 

Depleting river water resources and soil health, rising droughts and floods convey a wake-up call in realigning ourselves to respect the natural resources to use it sensibly and tune towards a sacred economic path with a sustainable lifestyle. Covid-19 like Zoonotic pandemics are on the rise, because of destruction of forests, and the coming of contact between humans and wild life, due to loss of habitat of the wild animals. 

• Western Ghats is among the six tiger-occupied landscapes in India and regarded as the best-connected and contiguous habitat among others.
• Western Ghats is one of the eight hottest hotspots of biological diversity and considered a World heritage site by the United Nations. It contains huge length of mountain ranges composed of diverse forest habitats which helps thrive countless number of plants, insects, animals, give birth to numerous rivers and other important ecosystems.
• This project boasts incredible flora and fauna with 29 species of mammals, 256 species of birds, 8 species of reptiles, 50 species of butterflies, of which the conservation of these creatures are in our hand.
• With growing depletion of natural resources, the proposed project not only destroy the pristine forests of Wester Ghats but also fail to provide much needed on ground development for the people of Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts.

The RAILWAY PROJECT:

• The proposed 168 km railway line passes through forests between two major protected areas - Kali Tiger Reserve and Bedthi Conservation Reserve, inside which over 2.34 lakh trees to be sacrificed.
• More than 80% of the line must pass through the dense forest lands of the Western Ghats, and this consists the diversion of 595.64 hectares of prime forests comprising of evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests connected with three elephant corridors namely Kanwar elephant corridor (249.58 ha), Yellapura elephant corridor (304.06 ha), Dharwad elephant corridor (42 ha). 
• The project was conceived to provide transportation of iron and manganese ores from Hospet-Bellary region of North Karnataka to the coastal ports.
• Cost has escalated by 3 times, to Rs. 3,750 crores.
• Total land to be acquired is about 995.64 hectares with Forest Land of 595.64 hectares, Wet Land of 184.60 hectares, Dry Land of 190.00 hectares, Built-Up Area of 24.00 hectares and Urban Land of 1.40 hectares. The Railways had proposed 34 tunnels with 3.4km of length each and nine stations, most of it in the forest area. This also requires building approach roads which cuts the forests even more, all these destructions happen for just 1.68m of railway line. As part of the project 327 bridges, 50 of which will be inside the sensitive zone with 12 railway stations.

The simulation consequent to land-use changes with implementation of rail project indicated a decline of 16.23% of forest cover. 

This project has seen opposition from locals and environmentalists.   

The destruction that this project would cause to the the complicated cycle that nature creates, is irreplaceable. 

Linear infrastructures inside the pristine forests results in irreparable habitat loss, fragmentation and welcomes invasive species of weeds to thrive, transportation may also cause plastic pollution eventually.

Wildlife such as elephants, deer etc succumb while crossing the railway tracks which is the direct impact of linear infrastructure intrusions. In India 183 elephants were killed due to train hits between 1987 and 2011 according to a study. What is alarming is that close to 32,000 animals were killed by trains between 2016 and 2018 which includes cattle, leopards, lions, elephants and others according to the data released by Railway minister of India. Mitigation measure to prevent such mortalities in thick forests is extremely challenging to carry out.

MOST IMPORTANT: The Project is not more relevant.

• Mining activity in Hospet-Bellary region have reduced drastically.  Hence there is no need for the railway line.
• The route has no significance for passenger traffic. 
• There is already a railway line existing between Hubbali and Vasco, the only saving by this new railways line would be 18 kms.  

To spend so much tax payer's money, and to cause so much destruction, for a need that no more exists, questions the very intelligence of this decision!

We sincerely request you to take cognisance of the above facts, and drop this project immediately.  Please focus on sustainable development models that conserve the habitat of both the wild and human life.

Yours sincerely,

Citizens of India!