KOTTAYAM/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Wednesday alleged that fisheries, culture and youth affairs minister Saji Cherian orchestrated changes in alignment of SilverLine semi high-speed rail corridor project to save his house and property. The minister, however, refuted the charge and said he was ready to surrender his house for the project.
"Saji Cherian had said the other day that there was no change in the (SilverLine) alignment. What he said is wrong; the alignment in Chengannur, including the region where his house is located, itself has been changed," Thiruvanchoor told a news conference on Wednesday.
He said the current alignment on the K-Rail website is different from what was displayed in December 2021. "The alignment at Mulakkuzha has changed now. In the old route map, the alignment was on the left side of Mulakkuzha panchayat office. It is on the right side now," he said.
The Kottayam MLA also produced two alignment maps to buttress his argument. He asked the minister to clarify who got the benefit from this change and the K-Rail MD to explain how this change came about.
Reacting to the allegation, Cherian said: “The alignment for the K-Rail project was not done by me and the alignment can be done over my house if Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan wants it so. I am also ready to hand over the compensation for the house to him." Earlier at the news conference, Thiruvanchoor said he would release more documents if Cherian continued to challenge him on the matter.
He had alleged a change in alignment of the project to aid a minister two days ago, without naming Cherian. He said changes in the alignment had been made not only in Chengannur. "The minister is insulting those who are losing their homes by calling them terrorists. It cannot be condoned. Why are they not charging UAPA on them if they are terrorists? The protest is against the anti-people policies of the government," he said.
Thiruvanchoor also denied charges that the Congress and BJP were holding ajoint protest. "The move to insult protesters follows a realisation that people are angry with the government. The efforts to link this protest to Vimochana Samaram on hearing the name of Changanassery are also part of this,” he said.
