PANAJI
PWD and Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral on Monday said that the work on the double-tracking project of the South Western Railway (SWR) on the sector between Kulem and Vasco will continue unhindered as the recent court ruling was applicable only to the Castle Rock to Kulem section of the railway line.
Cabral made the statement emerging out of a meeting of the Goa government and the officials of the SWR held at the Tourism (Pariyatan) Bhavan at Patto in the capital city.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and also attended by Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel apart from officials of the SWR.
Earlier last week, the Supreme Court of India had junked the clearances granted by the National Board for Wild Life to the project following a report of its Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which had held that the double-tracking was "unnecessary".
The double tracking has evoked widespread opposition among various sections of Goans, including greens and youth who express concern that it cuts through protected forests in and around the Mollem National Park.
Another concern is that the project is meant to facilitate a coal transportation corridor between Mormugao port and North Karnataka which hosts several power plants and steel mills.
Also, the second track in villages like Velsao and Cansaulim comes close to and could potentially cause damage to several heritage homes.
These villages are in the Kulem-Vasco sector and Cabral's assertion that the work will continue despite the Supreme Court order could potentially stir up protests again.
Meanwhile Cabral said, the meeting on Monday also discussed several railway infrastructure issues including the Mangor Hill underpass, raising height of other underpasses to ensure vehicles of the Fire Force and other heavy vehicles can pass through and building of more underpasses and overpasses.
