The Centre and Indian Railways have not agreed with the Kerala government for the social impact assessment research, according to the Kerala High Court.
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The Centre has informed the Kerala high court that the SilverLine project, a semi-high-speed railway project, has received no budgetary sanction or authorization for the social impact assessment study.
The Kerala government is now conducting social impact assessment research. The laying of the demarcation stones for the semi-high-speed rail project from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod was met with strong opposition. Protests against the SilverLine project erupted across the state, with some even threatening to commit suicide.
The government and the railways have “not approved/concurred with the social impact assessment report performed by the State of Kerala in the SilverLine project,” according to the Assistant Solicitor General of India.
It is also said that the Centre and Indian Railways have refused to agree with the Kerala government on the placement of stones or markings during the project’s survey.
The In-Principle Approval (IPA) was granted exclusively for pre-investment operations and forwarded to the railway ministry.
The granting of an IPA merely entails the presentation of a DPR, which contains all of the project’s specifics, including its financing.
According to the finance ministry’s norms, no financial permission for the project has been obtained, according to the high court’s submission.
The SilverLine project spans a 529.45-kilometer railway line in north Kerala that connects Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, passing through 11 districts and 11 stations.
Currently, train travel takes 12 hours, but it will take less than four hours with the new railway line.
The project’s projected cost is Rs 63,940 crore, and it is being billed as one of the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s most significant infrastructure schemes.
