Nagpur: The concerns against upgradation of
railway line through Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) is gaining momentum with Congress MLA from Buldhana Harshawardhan Sapkal appealing to all MLAs and MLCs to raise their voice against the project.
Talking to TOI, Sapkal said, “Cutting across party lines, I’ve appealed to my colleagues in the assembly from Vidarbha to oppose the project with the government and their leadership.”
Sapkal has already written to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to stop the anti-environment move to broaden the 176km Akola-Khandwa railway line, of which 39km passes through the tiger reserve.
Sapkal stressed that the line outside tiger reserve with an alternative route will be beneficial for over 2.50 lakh people instead of over 6,000 from inside.
The Congress MLA said as per Human Development Index (HDI), Jalgaon-Jamod and Sangrampur blocks outside MTR are backward and railway infrastructure would bring social and economic development in Vidarbha.