By Kambeyanda Sunil Biddappa, Retired Senior Vice-President, ITC Ltd., Mysuru
The proposed Railway line from Thalassery to Mysuru, cutting across South Kodagu, is not only an ecological disaster but also profoundly impacts the socio-economic and the cultural landscape of Kodagu and its people. Kerala, with its burgeoning population, has facilitated the migration of lakhs of its people into Kodagu which has impacted the socio-economic and cultural ethos of the tiny district and its original inhabitants so much so that most of the towns in Kodagu appear to be an extension of Kerala. With the proposed Railway line passing through Kutta, Kanoor, Balele and Thithimathi, nearly fifty to sixty meters of land (width) will be taken over by the Railways from Kutta to Thithimathi in a straight line (a distance of around 50 kilometres) not only destroying lakhs of trees and thousands of acres of coffee estates but also destroying the sacred Ainmane, Devarakadus (sacred groves) and temples situated along the Railway line. This in a nutshell, the Railway line will spell death knell for South Kodagu.
