Elephant Corridor threatened!!

The proposed 156-km Chamarajanagar-Sathyamangalam-Mettupalyam railway broad gauge line will severely damage prime elephant habitat. The Indian Railways continues to damage elephants and elephant habitat despite a mounting record of deaths of elephants.

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Here is an excerpt from a report:

More than 10 wildlife conservation groups, from across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have resolved to move the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests against giving clearance for the broadgauge line as they say it would sound the death-knell for nearly 2,500 elephants in the region, described as the elephant corridor that bridges Nilgiris and Western Ghats. The groups, which also plan to move the Supreme Court in this regard, argue that the broadgauge line will divide the only contiguous elephant habitat which spreads over 15,000 sq kms across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mr S Jayachander, Joint Secretary of the Ooty-based Tamil Nadu Green Movement, said, ''Our prime concern is to conserve elephants, whose numbers are dwindling. Now if the new railway line comes through, large tracts of forests from the north-eastern slope of Nilgiris to Kotagiri, to Thengumarada Valley, to Talamalai Hills to Mudiyanoor will be virtually destroyed.'' As 277 bridges have to be built, 138 curves created and 61 tunnels dug up, the number of men and machinery that will move into the elephant habitat will be huge, he said.

Concurring with him, Mr Manjunath of the Bangalore-based Wilderness Club said the railway line, which cuts through the elephant corridor, will pave the way for the decimation of elephants.

''This is precisely what is happening in Uttaranchal's Rajaji National Park, through which a railway line passes. More than 20 elephants have been killed by the fast moving trains in the Park in the last one decade'' Mr Manjunath said while warning that the same trend might continue down south if the new railway line is laid. Mr Manjunath contended that the line also has to be stopped in terms of protecting the Mysore Elephant Reserve. ''In fact, it was the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests which had in its communication (letter no 7-2/00(PE) dated 28/09/2000) to the Karnataka Government requested the latter to notify the elephant reserves in Karnataka. Subsequently, it gave its approval for the setting up of the Mysore Elephant Reserve - which covers Chamarajanagar district. Now, the Railway Ministry has taken up the rail project in Chamarajanagar district itself'' Mr Manjunath pointed out.

Counter view
However, the Minister of State for Railways R Velu begs to differ. Speaking at a function in Erode district's Bannari recently, Mr Velu had said the project was obtained ''in principle sanction'' during 1996-97 and as a result, there was no need for the project to stand further scrutiny. Once the final location survey is completed, the Railway Board should get funds and execute the project, he had said.

The Railway Ministry maintains that the new line will directly connect the areas of North Western Tamil Nadu with the economically advanced regions of Karnataka like Bangalore, Mysore, Mandya, Mangalore and Hassan, besides, boosting transportation in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Railway officials in Bangalore did not want to comment. http://www.deccanherald.com/