PANAJI
As expected, the move by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun to recruit scientists to prepare a fresh Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the track doubling project of the railways has evoked a sharp and critical reaction from scientists who were associated with the movement against the three-linear projects.
The Amchem Mollem collective on Saturday issued a press release which said scientists who worked with the Mollem movement have questioned the purpose of the new study by WII in the face of the project being debunked as "unviable" ecologically and economically by the Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee.
Wildlife biologist and researcher Dr Nandini Velho, who was closely associated and one of the main drivers of the Mollem movement, said it is "confusing" why a new study is thought to be necessary when the CEC had dubbed this railway line economically and ecologically unjustifiable.
Girish Punjabi, the lead author of the peer-reviewed study of the previous EIA which found glaring defects and lacunae, expressed hope that scientists and scientific institutions take a conscious decision not to create an entirely new EIA for the track-doubling project.
The study lead-authored by Punjabi was published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. He said: "This (new EIA for the project anew) will seek to undo an entire community's effort to prevent the double tracking for coal and keeping Goa's Tiger inhabited forests protected.”
The move by WII to recruit scientists aimed at preparing another EIA for the project has surprisingly come just four months after the Supreme Court scrapped the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) nod for the project after it perused the CEC's recommendation which said it was unviable and not needed.
"We uphold the conclusion of the CEC and revoke the approval granted by the Standing Committee of NBWL for doubling the railway line between Castlerock to Kulem," the Supreme Court had said in its May ruling.
The verdict, however, permitted Railway Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the project proponent, to submit a proposal afresh.
#AmchemMollem meanwhile said that with the pre-existing, on-ground opposition and scientific research indicating the project's irreversible negative impact on the environment and wildlife, it will continue its efforts to bring scientists from across the board together to oppose any fresh effort to resurrect the project.
