Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the challenges faced by railway projects in Kerala, citing the state government's lack of cooperation and delays in land acquisition, which hinder project execution despite increased funding.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated on Wednesday (July 24) that the Kerala government has not been very cooperative regarding railway projects. He emphasised that much more could be achieved in the state if there were government support for land acquisition. During the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw made his comments while addressing additional questions about the long-pending Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line project, which has been stalled since its sanctioning in 1997-98.
"It is a complex project and the cooperation of the state government is required to be able to take this project forward," Vaishnaw said.
The proposed railway line spans approximately 111 km, and the project along the old alignment is about 35 km short of the Sabarimala shrine.
"There is a public demand for an alternative alignment from Chenganoor to Pamba, which is shorter at around 75 km. The new alignment is only about 4 km short of the shrine. A decision has to be taken in discussion with MPs and the state government on whether the old alignment should be done or the new alignment. The detailed assessment of the new alignment is going on. Once it is done, a final call can be taken," the minister said.
According to the minister, progress on the project has stalled due to local protests against land acquisition and alignment fixing, court cases filed against the project, and insufficient support from the Kerala government.
Responding to a supplementary from Congress member Adoor Prakash, Vaishnaw said, "I would like to place on record that the Kerala government has not been very cooperative on railway projects. I request the MPs to use their good offices to get the support for land acquisition... projects can be taken up only if the state government supports land acquisition".
The minister mentioned that despite a significant increase in fund allocation, the progress of the project depends on the swift acquisition of land. He noted that the allocation for Kerala's railways has grown considerably since 2014, with an average outlay of Rs 2,033 crore in 2023-24 compared to the annual average of Rs 372 crore during the 2009-14 period.