Joshi strongly pitches for Hubballi-Ankola railway line

A seven-member central committee constituted by National Board for Wildlife holds stakeholders consultation meeting in Hubballi

A seven-member central committee constituted by National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) organised a stakeholders consultation meeting on Hubballi-Ankola railway line project in Hubballi on Thursday to hear and record submissions by various stakeholders, including individuals and organisations.

The central team, led by Deputy Inspector-General of Forests (DIGF), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Rakesh Kumar Jagenia, comprised Rajendra Kumar, T.N. Manohar, Sukumar, H.S. Singh, G.V. Gopi and Nagesh Iyer.

The team reached Dharwad district after a two-day visit to Uttara Kannada.

Participating in the stakeholders consultation meeting, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi strongly batted for the Hubballi-Ankola railway line project and said that it will pave way for the development of the region.

He said that the railway project will help import, export business from the ports in Goa, Karwar and Mangaluru. The railway line will also bring down the transportation cost and help the country’s biggest naval base, Seabird, he said.

Mr. Joshi pointed out that the logistics cost in the country is high compared to other nations. Emphasising that conservation of forest wealth, wildlife is important, he pointed out that Western Ghat’s sensitive zone is outside the ambit of the railway project.

He said that in a country with the second highest population in the world, several development works are necessary to promote industrial development and generate employment and emphasised the need for the railway project.