With cuts and gashes across the Kodagu landscape being planned in the form of roads and railway projects, activists have said they would take to the streets and go to the courts to stop the “destruction” of their hill district.
Multiple organisations from Kodagu have scheduled a major protest against the proposed infrastructure projects in Mysuru on February 18.
The latest threat for the environment degradation of eco-sensitive region is the planning of the ₹1,818.1-crore railway line from Mysuru to Madikeri through Kushalnagar. “For whom is the railway line? It is only for tourists. The line will destroy lakhs of trees, increase man-elephant conflict and will end up affecting the flow of water in the Cauvery,” said Col. C.P. Muthanna (retd), president of Coorg Wildlife Society.
Apart from this project, the controversial ₹6,685 crore Mysuru-Thalasherry line, which will bisect Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, and widening of four national highways would lead to degradation of the catchment area for the river. “These needless projects are being done to cater to the tourism industry. However, when Kodagu has a population of barely 5 lakh, getting between 14 to 20 lakh tourists annually is not sustainable. There should be a cap on tourists,” said Col. Muthanna, adding that the organisation was preparing to file public interest litigation petitions in the High Court to stop the projects.
The protest action would see the participation of Cauvery Nadi Swatcha Andolana which has demanded a stop to dumping of solid waste along the river as well as sewage inflow, said Chandra Mohan, president of the organisation.
S. Vishwanath, water conservationist, believed that the degradation of the river would have a ripple effect in Bengaluru, where the Cauvery is the only major source of drinking water. “It is only when the taps run dry that Bengaluru will be bothered. By then, it will be too late,” he added.
Mysuru-Thalaserry railway line not cleared, says MP
The proposed Mysuru-Thalaserry railway line cutting through Kodagu which has raised environmental concerns, has not yet been cleared by the Railway Ministry, says Mysuru MP Pratap Simha.
He took to Twitter on Tuesday, saying he met Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and another senior official Rajesh Agarwal to express his opposition to the proposed railway line.
“No approval has been given,” said Mr. Simha, pointing out that since the railway line was supposed to be a joint venture, it has to have the approval of both Karnataka and Kerala governments.
The issue assumes significance as the debate on the feasibility of the project has got fresh traction after a spate of reports that the project was on and had received the Centre’s final clearance.
This riled the greens in Kodagu and other parts of the State who are opposed to fresh railway lines and other infrastructure projects cutting across the forests of Kodagu. The issue has brought political parties, cutting across party lines, to the same platform in Kodagu where the opposition to the railway project is vehement for its ecological consequences.
