Environment ministry sees red, flags Baddi rail line plan

Ministry has asked whether the ‘New Broad-gauge Railway Line from Chandi Mandir to Baddi’ is in an eco-sensitive zone.

The Union Environment Ministry has raised questions on the new rail line to be laid from Chandimandir to Baddi. The Environment Ministry has asked whether the “New Broad-gauge Railway Line from Chandi Mandir to Baddi” scheme comes under the eco-sensitive zone or not. The question has arisen following complaints alleging that environmental regulations were ignored while approving the plan.

The biggest allegation is that the Baddi rail project comes under the eco-sensitive zone, but the project operators have not even applied for approval under the Wildlife Act. Despite this, it was given the green light at the Regional Empowered Committee level, after which in-principle approval was also issued under the Forest Conservation Act. 

Now the Regional Empowered Committee has also come under the scanner on this question of the Union Ministry. The matter came up for discussion at the committee level on 17 May 2023. Though there was no detailed discussion on the eco-sensitive zone, an important question was raised that the proposed plan for laying the rail line passes through the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, so a no-objection certificate should be obtained from the Chandigarh Forest and Wildlife Department. However, Northern Railway officials sidestepped this important question by merely giving an undertaking that if the Wildlife Act comes into force, it would be dealt with at the level of wildlife authorities.

The information about the eco-sensitive zone was also “hidden” in the application made for laying the Baddi rail line and the Regional Empowered Committee completely ignored it. Actually, an application has to be made to use forest land under any Forest Conservation Act. In this application, it has to be mentioned whether the scheme comes under the purview of a protected area or an eco-sensitive zone. 

The railway department has written in the application that this scheme does not come under the purview of any eco-sensitive zone. The interesting thing is that the application was presented at the level of the Regional Empowered Committee, but even after the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary was discussed, no one questioned the wrong information given regarding the eco-sensitive zone.

“There is no inquiry yet on the in-principle approval given to the Chandimandir-Baddi rail plan, but it is true that the Union Environment Ministry has sought answers regarding the eco-sensitive zone. It has been asked whether the plan to lay the railway line comes under the eco-sensitive zone or not,” said Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj, Deputy Director General of Forest, Regional Office, Chandigarh.

The raising of questions by the Ministry of Environment in this matter has started raising doubts about the plan. Being at least within the ambit of the eco-sensitive zone, the matter is now set to go to the level of the National Board for Wildlife. It is obvious that unless it is approved by the National Board for Wildlife, it will not be possible to do the construction work and this plan will remain in limbo. Surprisingly, the construction has already started.