the two railway lines to madikerithalaserrymysuru and mysurumadikeri have ruffled the feathers of environmentalists and activists who are now all set to stage a massive protest against the project in mysuru on february 18 at jk grounds the online petition titled stop the two railway tracks to kodagu and save river cauvery and your drinking water has been signed by more than 28000 people and the numbers are on the risespeaking to us member of coorg wildlife society sundar muthanna who started the online petition says we have already lost nearly 54000 trees for the power line project that connects to kerala which is now having a direct impact on the ecology particularly the rain pattern in the region after chopping trees the authorities have not planted new ones to retain the green cover since the election is due they may or may not continue with the project but we strongly condemn it the quantum of destruction of forest is such that river cauvery is no more a perennial river and it is drying up 20 kilometers before it reaches the sea there is a timber lobby in kerala that wants these railway projects to happen at any cost we are launching this protest in mysuru since the cauvery provides water to mysuru mandya and bengaluru also mysuru houses the south western railway officehe further adds that fewer trees means less rain nearly 70 of the inflow into the krs reservoir is from madikeri which feeds 8 crore people and 600 major industries food water and economic security of southern karnataka and tamil nadu depends on river cauvery in karnataka these regions include the citizens and farmers of bengaluru mysuru mandya and madikeri in tamil nadu it covers the districts of salem erode trichy thanjavur and nagapattinam with little foliage to eat elephants are often spotted in coffee estates which escalates mananimal conflict along with railway projects fourroad widening projects that connect to national and state highways is on the anvil which will lead to further destruction of forest he says