31 August 2013
NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court-appointed panel has cleared the way for construction of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor passing through Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.
The corridor from Vadodara to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust passes through the park and the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) cleared the project after a hearing under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, a railways statement said.
The panel approved the route after conducting a detailed inspection of the site with project and state forest officials. It added certain stipulations as mitigation measures, which have been accepted by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC).
DFCC shall provide underpasses for free movement of wild animals, chain link fencing for protection and funds for the upkeep and improvement of the national park apart from compensatory afforestation in the region.
The Western DFC project involves construction of new railway double line from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Maharashtra to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, a large part of which is parallel to the existing railway track.
Published by: The Times Of India