The Karnataka High Court dismissed a batch of petitions contesting the Hubli (Hubballi)-Ankola railway line project after the Railways stated that a new proposal is being developed and that construction will begin only once all essential permits are received.
Giridhar Kulkarni and others had filed public interest litigations (PILs) to oppose the project on the grounds that it would split the local tiger habitat.
A mitigation plan will be developed in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, in accordance with the National Board for Wildlife’s (NBWL) directives, and a new proposal will be submitted, according to an affidavit submitted to the court by South Western Railways’ Deputy Chief Engineer, Construction-1, Hubballi.
The affidavit stated that the work on the project shall commence only after getting all the necessary clearances and approvals as required under the law.
After the petitioners agreed that the current petitions could be closed for the time being, the bench, which was made up of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal, recorded the affidavit provided by the Railways and dismissed the PILs on Thursday.
A site inspection report from the NBWL Standing Committee as well as the minutes from the 73rd NBWL meeting were also provided to the court by the petitioners.
