The city's last remaining largest forest cover just received a death blow. The Supreme Court on Friday gave its clearance to the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) — the ambitious project of the Indian Railways which will pass through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

Environmentalists and railway officials have been fighting a fierce debate on the impact of this project on Mumbai and surrounding areas. Environmentalists believe this will be a death blow for the national park despite railway officials’ claims that the alignment passes along the existing rail line between Diva and Vasai and would have minimal impact on the flora and fauna.

The WDFC is a 1,483km double electric line that extends from the busy JNPT port near Panvel to Dadri (in western UP) via Vadodara. The project was cleared after the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court, recommended the line to pass through the National Park after conducting a detailed inspection with the project and state forest officials. It has added stipulations as mitigation measures asking railways to provide underpasses for free movement of wild animals, chain link fencing for protection, and as a contribution towards the environment and wildlife protection, give funds for the upkeep and improvement of the national park, besides compensatory afforestation.

“Though all these things have been promised, I think the ecology of the region will be hit. The line passes between Vasai and Diva stations where the Tungareshwar area falls that is known for its deer and monkey habitat. The railway would scare away these animals,” says Sunish K Subramanian of the Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Mumbai.

“The mitigation measures suggested should not remain on paper but must be made mandatory for the protection of environment there. The project should be allowed only if there is implementation of the suggested mitigation measures like underpass etc for free movement of animals,” adds Vidya Athreya, who is with the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore and part of the Forest Department’s project called ‘Mumbaikars for SGNP’

Mumbai environmentalist Rishi Aggarwal said that a new corridor like this should not have been allowed. “Leave the core area, such a project should not even be allowed in the buffer zone of the park,” he said.

DFCL officials, however, countered saying that they had studied all possible routes and this had been the one with minimal damage to forest area.

Rajesh Khare, deputy general manager, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation Limited, rubbished the allegations of an ecological disaster. “The line will affect just a 1.5km stretch. Right now it is unprotected forest and we will be building fences and barriers to protect the area. Moreover, the DFC alignment passes along the alignment of the existing railway corridor and it will in no way damage the environment,” he said.

Sources, however, said the railway line here will be different than the standard rail lines - the rail trains will be running into 1,500m as against the standard 700m with a width of 3,600mm as compared to the regular 3,200mm. The lines will be equipped to ferry double stack containers running at 100kmph. The two-line electric railway will require poles and masts at regular intervals with overhead wires and powerful locomotives and wagons running through it. It will ferry trains at an increased frequency.