Kerala Chief Minister V D Sathisan on Wednesday announced that the proposed ‘Silverline’ semi-rapid rail project will now be cancelled. The 530-km project was expected to reduce the distance between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod – two districts on opposite ends of the state – to four hours. This was a collaboration between the previous government under the LDF and the Ministry of Railways, planned by K-Rail.
“The Cabinet has decided to cancel the semi-high-speed rail corridor project from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod called Silverline,” Sathisan said at the beginning of a press conference. The Prime Minister also added that notifications regarding land acquisition for the project will be cancelled, PTI reported.
Why was the ambitious project withdrawn?
The Congress-led Kerala government said the project was withdrawn due to its abandonment by the previous administration and issues related to land transactions notified for acquisition, a move affecting the common man. The central government’s lack of approval for the project added to the mix.
Sathisan explained that the government will support the construction of a high-speed rail corridor as long as it is financially and environmentally sound for the state. “We opposed the Silverline project because it did not even have a proper Detailed Project Report (DPR). If it had been implemented, it would have been an environmental disaster, as 30 feet high embankments were planned for 300 km and 10 feet high walls for another 200 km of the railway corridor,” he said. “During the monsoon, it would have turned into an environmental disaster. It was not a sustainable project.”
Land grabbing, protests and criminal cases
All declarations issued in favor of land acquisition for the project will now be noted. The government will also recommend withdrawing criminal cases against opponents of the project, subject to court approval. The Congress led large-scale statewide protests where many yellow signs were uprooted and thrown away by the agitators.
The Ministry of Interior is expected to study these cases and recommend withdrawal based on their nature. Additionally, the revenue department has been directed to place yellow concrete markers at various locations for the benefit of the project.
Public Service Commission Exam Rank Lists
Apart from discussing the canceled ‘Silverline’ project, the Prime Minister also spoke about extending the validity of the Public Service Commission (PCS) examination rank lists that expire on August 31 until November 30. Although the move is unprecedented in nature, Sathisan announced that it was required due to the decline in the number of appointments as a result of elections and related works.
“The lack of appointments has disappointed many young people and created difficulties for them,” Sathisan added. Further instructions in this regard will be provided to the Public Service Commission.
It is expected that the list of promises made in the United Democratic Front statement will be divided between the various departments that will oversee their implementation. This includes a plan to end all manifesto promises, which will likely face minimal interference, in the first 100 days from June 1.
“We have called it Vision 2031. Instructions have been issued to immediately begin work on implementing all the promises made to the public in the statement so that they can be completed before the term of this government ends in 2031,” the Prime Minister said.
A sub-committee has been set up to recommend names for Padma awards to the Center besides appointing advocate Muhammad Shah as Additional Solicitor General of the Kerala High Court.
