Kerala govt's 'dream' derails; Silverline high-speed rail project shelved
By Vipin Vijayan | First Published Nov 28, 2022, 3:07 PM ISTAsianet News had earlier reported the stalling of the controversial Silverline project, which has now been made official by the Revenue Department.
The Kerala government has officially put its Silverline high-speed rail project on the back burner. The Revenue Department has ordered the recall of officials assigned to the project with immediate effect.
According to the order signed by the Revenue Additional Chief Secretary, the government will now await the Railway Board's permission before further action is taken on the project, including the social impact study.
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Asianet News had earlier reported the stalling of the controversial Silverline project, which has now been made official by the Revenue Department.
The project for a high-speed rail line linking the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram with Kasaragod in the north had created a major controversy regarding its efficacy, bringing the opposition parties and even the LDF government's allies to oppose it.
The Silverline Project has been the LDF government's declared dream project. Even while public outcry against the project spread across the state, the government went ahead with its land survey work.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM leaders took it as a prestige issue, standing firm behind the project. However, public anger rose to a fever pitch, resulting in direct conflict between the police and the public, including women and children.
When the physical landmarking work using the now-famous 'yellow-stones' had to be called off following violent opposition, the government ordered the go-ahead using geo-tagging. The setback from the Thrikkakkara bye-election added more food for the LDF government's thoughts, forcing it to freeze the project temporarily.
The government insists that the freeze is only temporary till Railway Board permission is granted, even though it realizes that the row over its dream project had dealt a big blow to its public image.
The time given to the agency dealing with the social impact study will not be renewed. The Revenue Department will soon take steps to recall all 205 employees sent on deputation in 11 districts to report back to their mother departments.
The government submitted the DPR for Silverline, under K Rail, in June 2020, but no permission has yet been received yet. The K Rail had approached the government to extend the time given to the social impact survey agency. The legal advice to continue with the agency is also in vogue. However, the government insists that any further action will be taken only after Railway Board's permission.
The proposed high-speed rail line was to cover 532 km between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, with 11 stations for trains to speed up to 200 km/h. Opposition to its efficacy, including social and environmental hazards, started right from the beginning.
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