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This campaign is to ask India’s premiere wildlife institution, the Wildlife Institute of India to  withdraw the posts (Advt. No. WII/AECB/BH/CIA-Castlerock/2022) for the “Cumulative Environment Impact Assessment on wildlife habitat and ecological values due to proposed doubling of railway track from Tinaighat to Kulem in the northern Western Ghats.” There have already been two studies done on the same project, by Indian Institute of Science and WII, and the Central Empowered Commitee of the Supreme Court (submitted their report on 23.04.2021) stated that it “does not find any justification for undertaking a project of this nature which will destroy the fragile Ecosystem of the Western Ghats which is an internationally recognised Biodiversity hot spot and also one of the most important wildlife corridors of the Country. [Pg 59]”  

To
Registrar (PR)
Wildlife Institute of India 
Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001
registrarpr@wii.gov.in
Date: 7th September, 2022

Dear Dr. Badola,
With respect to the Advt. No. WII/AECB/BH/CIA-Castlerock/2022: “Cumulative Environment Impact Assessment on wildlife habitat and ecological values due to proposed doubling of railway track from Tinaighat to Kulem in the northern Western Ghats”. Although the Supreme Court vide order dated 9.05.2022 does not preclude the RVNL to carry out a detailed analysis on the impact of the proposed project on the biodiversity and ecology of the protected areas under the wildlife sanctuary as indicated, we would like to draw your attention to the CEC submitted Report No.6 of 2021 on 23.04.2021 which shows the outright unviability of this project:
1. Concerns related to habitat fragmentation and connectivity: The report states: “The increased number of trains and wider openings through the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats for laying the track will further fragment the habitat.” [Pg. 57]
Further [Pg. 58] the report states, the railway line: “will make the movement of wildlife including arboreal animals across the railway line much more difficult and dangerous and is bound to result in high casualties amongst the wildlife.”
2. Concerns related to this existing route: The CEC states that “The doubling of the railway line will not improve the efficiency of train movement at all, and the doubled line, if allowed, would operate with the same severe limitations as the existing line.” [Pg. 56] 
3. No justification for this project: The CEC said that it “does not find any justification for undertaking a project of this nature which will destroy the fragile Ecosystem of the Western Ghats which is an internationally recognised Biodiversity hot spot and also one of the most important wildlife corridors of the Country.” [Pg. 59]
As a premiere wildlife institute, we would like to draw your attention that several scientists, including the former Director of the Bombay Natural History Society and former members of the Standing Committee have raised concerns related to the unviability double-tracking project. As many as 156 scientists, academicians, conservationists and allied professionals have also written to the WII Director in November 2020.
This protected area is home to Schedule-I and Schedule-II species such as the tiger (Panthera tigris), dhole (Cuon alpinus), mouse deer (Moschiola indica), gaur (Bos gaurus), and Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata). The dragonfly species (Idionyx gomantakensis and Cyclogomphus flavoannulatus) which are endemic to the Western Ghats were described from here. In fact the type locality of Idionyx gomantakensis is adjacent to the proposed doubling of the railway track. We urge you to consider the said CEC report dated 23.04.2021 which highlights the importance of Western Ghats eco-system which is one of the world's eight hotspots and scrap this study. 

All the necessary annexures can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qXDpIsCcDcNVYiFewjJdxaKP2eOIxw4d

SIGNED

Revoke the posts (Advt. No. WII/AECB/BH/CIA-Castlerock/2022) for the Cumulative EIA on wildlife habitat and ecological values due to proposed doubling of railway track from Tinaighat to Kulem

In one of the most vibrant and spirited battles, youth and citizens from across Goa and the world have come together to protest the double tracking of the railway line. Further the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee stated it “does not find any justification for undertaking a project of this nature.”

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