Why railways’ coal track through Western Ghats hit SC hurdle

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Editor's note: It is rare in these times for an environmental movement to score a victory. And that too, thanks to an order of the Supreme Court.  On 9 May, the court revoked a wildlife clearance issued by the National Board for Wildlife for an Indian Railways project involving the laying of a 25-km railway track through the Western Ghats, along the Karnataka-Goa border. The track was principally meant to help move imported coal from Goa to Karnataka. The court’s verdict means the project can no longer go ahead, unless it receives a fresh clearance.  The railways should have seen this coming. That said, its behaviour fits a familiar pattern adopted by proponents of large infrastructure projects nowadays, especially when it comes to environmental compliance.  First, the railways did not carry out enough assessments of how the project would impact the environment. The new track is in addition to an existing Portuguese-era railway line that cuts through some of the most dense forests in India. Widening this route would have consequences. It would make local wildlife—which includes tigers, leopards, innumerable reptiles and …