Union Minister V Muraleedharan paid a visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday to see the areas affected by the Kerala government’s ambitious K-Rail project. The minister spoke with citizens and criticised the state administration for the SilverLine project.
The SilverLine project is a semi-high-speed rail line that will cut travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in half. K-Rail, a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Railway Ministry, would build the 532-kilometre line for strengthening railway infrastructure in the southern state.
Muraleedharan said, ‘Kerala doesn’t need development that displaces thousands of people who have no other means of income. SilverLine does not have people’s assent. It will force Kerala into debt trap. Kerala government is threatening innocent civilians in the name of Social Impact Assessment – which doesn’t permit planting yellow [marker] stones’.
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The minister also asked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to put an end to any attempts that do not have the central government’s permission.
Local citizens have organised protests in areas where the government sought to lay demarcation stones in the name of the SilverLine project, backed by the opposition UDF and BJP. Despite strong popular resistance, the state administration has been moving forward with the project. The LDF administration has claimed to have the support of the union government even when officials, such as the railway minister denied the same.
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