17th Nov 2018


Nagpur: Even as the death of three tiger cubs by the speeding Chanda Fort-Gondia passenger train on Thursday in Chichpalli (Chandrapur district) is a grim reminder of how linear projects are killing the country’s wildlife, experts warned of more such incidents considering the proposed expansion of railway network in Central India that threatens to cut at least 13 tiger corridors across 23 tiger reserves.
Wildlife experts state Indian Railways have taken up trebling of railway line network sans mitigation measures which will cut multiple corridors in Central Indian Tiger Landscape (CITL). A third line to be added to major trunk routes threatens the viability of tigers in CITL.

While the third line work of section through Ratapani wildlife sanctuary in MP has been cleared with mitigation measures by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), such planning during expansion for other lines still remains a grey area.

Indian Railways is on a massive expansion of railway network to add third lines with an aim to increase freight and passenger traffic. Third lines are being laid between Delhi-Chennai and Mumbai-Howrah route. Both these lines pass through Nagpur and cut across major swathes of forests in Central India.

Read full story here