the proposed 165-km long rail line between Hubli and Ankola, near the Goa border has drawn the ire of environmentalists who say that the project will cut through the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats.

Savio Carvalho of the Uttara Kannada Parisara Saurashankana Samiti, an environmental organisation, said that the proposed railway line will be linked to the Konkan Railway. Environmentalists had earlier protested against the recently completed Konkan Railway that runs along coastal western India.

However, authorities argue that the rail line will boost the local economy and tourism.