PANAJI
The Regional Empowered Committee (REC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has raised fresh concerns over the ecological implications of the proposed Kulem–Kalem railway doubling project, seeking a comprehensive assessment of its impact on biodiversity within the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.
The committee, during its meeting held on March 26, has deferred its decision on Goa’s request to revoke the abeyance order on diversion of 15.6 hectares of forest land for the project -- the request which was rejected in March 2025, too.
It has instead directed the State government to undertake a cumulative impact assessment through the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and place the findings before the State Wildlife Board and the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), or the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), for appraisal and approval before approaching the REC again.
During deliberations, the REC observed that while Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the project’s implementing agency, had engaged the WII, the institute’s report was limited to suggesting mitigation measures and failed to comprehensively examine the project’s impact on the sanctuary’s ecology and biodiversity.
“The report must not be confined to mitigation measures alone but should include a detailed analysis of the likely impact on protected areas under the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, along with sustainable strategies to address adverse effects,” the REC noted in its meeting minutes.
The Goa government had renewed its push for the project nearly a year after a similar request was rejected in March 2025. In its revised submission, the State relied on an RVNL-backed study assessing biodiversity impacts, while reiterating that the Supreme Court’s May 9, 2022 order applies specifically to the Castle Rock–Kulem stretch and not the Kulem–Kalem section.
The proposed diversion forms part of the controversial railway doubling project between Tinaighat in Karnataka and Vasco da Gama in Goa. Wildlife clearances for the broader project were revoked by the Supreme Court in 2022 following recommendations by the CEC.
As part of its mitigation blueprint, the WII has suggested structural modifications to facilitate wildlife movement, including increasing the height and span of existing crossings, adding new overpasses and underpasses, and creating at-grade animal crossings equipped with detection and alert systems. Additional measures include chain-link fencing near water bodies for smaller species, escape ramps, and installation of noise and light barriers along the track.
The State has also pointed out that Stage-II forest clearance for diversion of 138.39 hectares across three proposals was granted in April 2022, but kept in abeyance following the apex court’s order. Subsequently, the abeyance was lifted for diversion of 1.908 hectares in the Kulem–Sanvordem stretch, as it fell outside the purview of the court’s ruling.
