Opposition Grows in Kodagu Against Proposed Railway Line After The Kodagu Express Report

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Madikeri: Kodagu residents and environmental groups have strongly opposed a fresh proposal by elected representatives from neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district seeking a new railway connectivity project passing through parts of the ecologically sensitive Kodagu region. The opposition intensified after The Kodagu Express first reported that Sullia MLA Bhagirathi Murulya and Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta had submitted a memorandum to Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna seeking the construction of a new railway line connecting Mysuru through Kaniyoor-Sullia-Napoklu.

The exclusive report by The Kodagu Express triggered widespread reactions on social media, with several residents, environmental activists, social media pages, and influencers questioning the need for the railway project through the fragile Western Ghats landscape. Many expressed fears that the proposed railway corridor could result in large-scale destruction of forests, agricultural lands, wildlife habitats, and water sources in Kodagu district.

Several residents argued that Kodagu, already witnessing increasing environmental stress and recurring landslides in recent years, cannot withstand further large-scale infrastructure projects cutting through forested terrain and ecologically sensitive zones. Environmentalists also warned that such projects could fragment wildlife corridors and increase human-animal conflict in the region.

According to exclusive details accessed by The Kodagu Express, the proposed railway corridor would originate from Kaniyoor station on the existing Mangaluru-Hassan railway line. The new alignment is proposed to pass through Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district and Napoklu in Kodagu before linking with the proposed Kushalnagar-Mysuru railway line at Kushalnagar.

Sources said the demand for the project was raised primarily because Sullia taluk, despite being one of the major taluks in Dakshina Kannada district, currently lacks railway connectivity and does not have a railway station. The memorandum reportedly urged the Railway Ministry to consider and sanction the project at the earliest.

However, the proposal is now likely to face renewed resistance in Kodagu, where citizen groups and environmental organisations have consistently opposed railway projects citing ecological concerns in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots.

Activists have maintained that railway projects through Kodagu could lead to extensive tree felling, destruction of forests, disturbance to elephant and wildlife movement corridors, and irreversible ecological damage. They have also pointed out that Kodagu serves as a crucial catchment area for the Cauvery river and warned that large-scale developmental activities could threaten water security and environmental stability in the region.

Citizen groups in the district had earlier staged protests against similar railway proposals, insisting that the long-term ecological cost to Kodagu would far outweigh the potential benefits of such connectivity projects.

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