Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 19: The controversial Ankola-Hubballi railway line project, which is being resisted tooth and nail by environmentalists and which had recently obtained clearance, has been stalled again. The state high court has issued interim stay against the execution of this project.

The high court has asked the concerned not to take any further measures based on a decision taken buy Karnataka State Wildlife Board that had cleared the project.

A Bengaluru-based environment organisation, Project Vriksha Foundation, has filed public interest litigation questioning the decision taken by the wildlife board and also questioning the Ankiola Hubballi railway project. A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice A S Oka and Justice R Nataraj heard the litigation on Thursday June 18.

After hearing the arguments the bench ordered not to undertake further steps on Hubballi-Ankola railway line till further orders on the basis of a decision taken by the wildlife board of the state on March 20 this year. It adjourned the hearing in the case to July 11 after ordering to serve notices to the state wildlife board, state forest and environment department, National Tiger Conservation Authority and standing committee of National Wildlife Board, calling for their objections if any.

The judges observed that the defendants, Karnataka State Wildlife Board, had, in a meeting held on March 9, passed a resolution rejecting the said railway project. Within 11 days since then, it changed its stand on the issue by clearing the project on March 20. The meeting was attended by two ministers who are not part of the board. Therefore, there is a need to study the March 20 decision in detail, they felt.