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Protests against Kerala govt’s high-speed rail corridor to intensify soon
The collective said the proposed project will displace more than 20,000 families in the densely- populated state and it will also trigger severe environmental damage as it passes through wetlands, paddy fields and hills.
With protests against the proposed high-speed rail corridor K Rail getting louder in Kerala, a group of affected people and those opposing it, K Rail Silverline Viruddha Janakiya Samiti, have decided to carry out a state-wide rally to gather support against the ambitious project of the Left Front government.
The Samiti said opposition leader VD Satheesan will flag off the rally in north Kerala’s Kasaragod on Tuesday and it will conclude on March 24 in front of the state secretariat. It said during the rally the group will sensitize people “about the dangers of the big ticket projects and its impact on the environment.” There will be street plays and other programmes associated with the rally led by its convenor MP Baburaj. It said all political parties are invited to participate in the rally.
The collective said the proposed project will displace more than 20,000 families in the densely- populated state and it will also trigger severe environmental damage as it passes through wetlands, paddy fields and hills. Opposition Congress and BJP are also against the project and recently many MPs from the state met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav with a request to deny permission to the project.
“No serious study was done on the project. Besides triggering innumerable environmental problems many experts have also pointed out that it is not economically viable. The government should shed its adamant attitude and hear people,” said Samiti leader Baburaj. He said though the ruling party said it will talk to affected people and dispel their fears it is going ahead with the project unmindful of mounting criticism.
An ambitious project of the Kerala government, K Rail, will connect north Kerala’s Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram in the south and reduce the present travel time of 12 hours to four, said Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd, the nodal agency for the project. But many experts including Metro Man E Sreedharan said high speed trains are not feasible to run on wetlands and its alignment was also flawed. The government is expected to complete the ₹63,491 crore project by 2025 but experts said it will take a minimum of 10 years and the estimated cost will be much higher. Besides the opposition many conservationists and nature lovers are also opposing the project saying it will spell doom for the state. Some Left-leaning organisations like Sastra Sahitya Parishad have also opposed the project and the junior partner in the government CPI is also uncomfortable with the mounting protests.
“The government is trying to suppress agitation against K Rail and it will turn into another Nandigram for the ruling party,” said opposition leader V D Satheesan. (Protests against a car project in Nandigram led to large-scale violence in 2007-08 which finally led to the fall of the uninterrupted Left rule in West Bengal). “This project will never materialise. It is time for the government to withdraw its dream without displaying much ego,” said BJP state chief K Surendran. A BJP delegation from the state including E Sreedharan had called on the railway minister last month.
