Panaji, Nov 5 (IANS): Days ahead of a protest meeting in South Goa, demanding the scrapping of double tracking of the South Western Railway line, the railway authorities on Thursday postponed the controversial track laying work in Davorlim village, citing "operational constraints".

On November 9, opposition parties as well as civil society activists had called for a public meeting to protest against three central government projects, including the double-tracking of the South Western Railway line, claiming they would facilitate a coal corridor through the coastal state.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the South Western Railway said that the decision to postpone the track-laying work at the level crossing was taken "due to operational constraints".

Opposition as well as civil society groups and tourism stakeholders have expressed apprehension, that the central government projects were being pushed at an "express pace" to facilitate movement of coal imported through the Mormugao Port Trust facility in Goa to steel mills in Karnataka's Bellary district and nearby areas.

Nearly 50,000 trees located in and around Mollem village are slotted for felling for the projects which include expansion of railway lines and highways and drawing of a new high tension power line across protected forests.

The projects have already been cleared by the National Board for Wildlife in April this year.