Maharashtra has formed a high-level expert committee to assess how the proposed Pune-Nashik semi-high-speed railway could affect the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope near Khodad.
The committee will be chaired by former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar. The decision followed concerns from the atomic-energy and science departments that electric trains could create electromagnetic interference with the observatory’s radio astronomy work.
GMRT is a major low-frequency radio-astronomy facility. The committee will examine electromagnetic, operational and structural effects of the proposed line and consider alternatives including tunnels, elevated structures or a limited realignment.
The government resolution gives the committee 60 days to submit its report. That timetable creates an opportunity to test the transport proposal against scientific requirements before construction decisions become difficult to reverse.
The issue is not a choice between infrastructure and research in the abstract. It is a planning question about whether route design, engineering controls and operating methods can protect a globally important observatory while improving regional connectivity.