In Brief
The Supreme Court revoked the Standing Committee of NBWL's approval for doubling a 26 km railway line through the Western Ghats from Castlerock (Karnataka) to Kulem (Goa). The Court accepted the Central Empowered Committee's recommendation, holding that the project lacked adequate justification and posed unacceptable environmental risks to an ecologically sensitive tiger corridor. Applying the precautionary principle and sustainable development doctrine, the Court found that environmental protection must take precedence where serious, irreversible damage to biodiversity hotspots is threatened. Mandatory consultation with the National Tiger Conservation Authority for the Goa portion was not completed, and the project proponent failed to demonstrate the necessity of doubling when viable alternatives existed. The Court emphasized that developers bear the onus of proving environmental safety, not vice versa.
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