Concerned by the fact the proposed Railway gauge conversion of the Akola-Khandwa line would have an “irreversible impact” on the endangered species and their habitat, the Maharashtra Government has urged the Railway Ministry to withdraw the proposal and consider alternate alignment outside the Melghat Tiger.

In a letter shot off to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed serious reservations about the proposal involving the gauge conversion of the Akola-Khandwa line proposed by the South-Central Railway which passes through the “core critical Tiger Habitat of Melghat Tiger Reserve” in Maharashtra.

The proposal involves construction of tunnels by cutting and blasting rocks using heavy machinery and explosives. It also involves realignment away from the existing track to ease sharp carves  on 23.48 km out of a total length of 38 km “passing through the core area of the Tiger Reserve”. “This amounts to realignment and not just the gauge conversion along the existing railway track,” he said.

“Considering that the long-term irreversible impacts of the gauge conversion on endangered species like the Tiger and their habitat, it would be appropriate to focus on alternative alignments which would not only ensure much required space for the wild life but also bring railway connectivity and greater economic development to hitherto unconnected villages located in Jalgaon-Jamed and Sangrampur talukas and benefitting almost 100 villages in the vicinity of the alternative alignment,” the chief minister wrote in his letter.

The chief minister went on to urge the minister to “withdraw” the proposal and consider alternative alignment of the railway line outside the Melghat Tiger Reserve “in the interest of wildlife conservation in general and protection of the tiger habitat in particular”. In this context Uddhav said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself said that the “the conservation of tigers is not a choice but an imperative”.

The Maharashtra government’s insistence on the Railway Ministry coming up with the alternative alignment for the Akola-Khandwa line should be seen in the context of the fact that the Melghat Tiger Reserve is among the first nine tiger reserves of India declared way back in 1973-74. Spread over an area of 2768.52 km, this tiger reserve is part of the Satpura-Maikal landscape which has the distinction of being one of the global priority Tiger Conservation landscapes.

The proposed gauge conversion between the Akola-Khandwa line would “also lead to increased railway traffic in the long run leading to huge disturbance to the core areas of the Melghat Tiger Reserve”.   

Along with the increase in railway traffic, it ( the proposed alignment) would “also lead to an increase in pollution along the track”. The core area has been made “inviolate” by rehabilitating 13 villages, 6 of which are within 10 km distance of the existing railway line. “Due to this, wildlife has significantly increased in the area. The project would reverse the benefits accrued from rehabilitation and habitat development,” the chief minister said.