Environmental groups, led by Save Mollem and backed by the Goa Foundation, have launched a public campaign demanding that the Goa State Board for Wildlife reject a proposal to permit ore handling at Kalem Railway Station. The board will revisit the controversial proposal—first discussed on March 20—at its meeting on Monday, June 30.
The campaign features an open petition and mass email drive urging board members to uphold their duty to protect Goa’s forests. The ore transport project, backed by Vedanta Ltd and South Western Railways (SWR), targets Kalem Station—located within the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.
Activists argue that allowing ore handling in such an ecologically sensitive zone sets a damaging precedent. The citizen letter accompanying the petition thanks board members who previously opposed the plan and asks them to stand firm. “Your stand for our forests and wildlife is crucial,” it reads. “We urge you to reject this environmentally destructive proposal.”
Kalem lies within Goa’s oldest and largest protected forest. Opponents warn that ore handling will raise air, noise and water pollution levels, damaging watersheds, forest health and wildlife corridors.
Though an alternative yard 2 km outside the sanctuary was proposed earlier, campaigners note that the ore route still cuts through fragile ecosystems. “Shifting the yard doesn’t shift the damage,” said one organiser. “If trucks and loaders use the same roads, the pollution remains.”
Campaigners are also concerned about the board’s independence. With railway officials participating in internal discussions, activists fear the board may act as a passive recipient of decisions. “It’s worrying that the Wildlife Board appears to be taking cues from the Railways, rather than asserting what’s acceptable in a sanctuary,” said one conservationist.
The campaign has gained momentum online, with citizens from Goa and beyond being urged to send appeals before Monday’s meeting.
The petition letter states: “It is disconcerting to know that Railway representatives were part of the deliberations, and their decisions will be conveyed to the Board—rather than the Board defending wildlife interests. We urge that the natural world remain your core mandate.”
Activists are calling for not only the rejection of the Kalem proposal but also a broader commitment to keeping protected areas off-limits to extractive industries.
With time running out, campaigners hope citizen pressure will count. “The board must remember its name—it’s the Wildlife Board, not a clearances committee for mining companies,” said a signatory. “We hope they do what’s right.”