The Kerala K-Rail Silverline Virudha Janakeeya Samiti that has been demanding scrapping of the ₹63,941-crore Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod SilverLine semi-high-speed rail corridor has decided to resume its agitation after Railway Board recently directed Southern Railway to hold discussions with Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd. (K-Rail) on issues related to the project and to submit a report.
This comes in the wake of a State committee meeting of the samiti held at Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. It was decided to hold zonal-level marches, dharnas, and discussions across Kerala this month in order to create awareness about the ‘real intentions’ behind the project.
“The move to revive the 530-km SilverLine project is being seen as an attempt to get possession of 105 hectares of railway land across 199 kms in the State for the project. Such tracts of land are crucial for laying new tracks and other critical projects to speed up train movement and handing over possession to K-Rail will stifle such projects. The move to get possession of Railway land is in stark contrast with the State government’s inordinate delay in handing over land needed for augmenting tracks and other railway-development projects,” said M.P. Baburaj, chairman of the samiti.
Covert attempts are being made to gain possession of Railway land, although Southern Railway had repeatedly informed Railway Board and K-Rail that such tracts of land cannot be handed over. The same was conveyed by the Centre to Kodikunnil Suresh, MP. It is also pertinent to note that the SilverLine project, which would have only 11 stations that are located away from the existing stations, would cater largely to the affluent sections of society. This would ultimately be at the cost of a bulk of commuters who board trains from 120 railway stations in the State. The State government’s attempts to revive the SilverLine project are evident from the Railway Board seeking a report on it.
It must be remembered that scores of people who protested against attempts to lay survey stones as part of SilverLine project were arrested, assaulted, and cases registered against them, while their lands were frozen for the project. The covert attempts to revive the project were like adding fuel to the fire, especially since Silverline’s DPR was found wanting in innumerable scientific parameters, said S. Rajeevan, general convenor.
As part of the protests, a march and dharna will be held before the office of the Chief Administrative Officer of Southern Railway in Ernakulam on November 15, and a protest demo before the office of Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) on November 30. Likewise, a debate, convention, and public meeting will be held on November 26 at Azhiyoor in Kozhikode, to commemorate 1,000 days of the anti-SilverLine agitation.
