Kerala HC Sets Aside Order Deferring Survey for Silverline Rail Project

Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly set aside the order deferring the survey till February 18.

A Kerala High Court division bench on Monday, 14 February, set aside a single-bench order deferring the survey process for the semi-high-speed Silverline rail project.

(Photo: The Quint)

A Kerala High Court division bench on Monday, 14 February, set aside a single-bench order deferring the survey process for the semi-high-speed Silverline rail project. Some had opposed the construction of concrete poles to identify the land meant for Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the project.

The bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly set aside a single-judge order made on 20 January that deferred the Silverline survey till 7 February. The stay was further deferred to 18 February by the single-judge bench comprising Justice Deevan Ramachandran.

"The present survey was being carried out to aid the Social Impact Assessment study after which it would take a call on whether any land needed to be acquired. The government has presently not declared any intention to acquire land for the project."

State government's appeal

What Is the SilverLine Project and Why Is It Being Opposed?

The SilverLine project – a semi high-speed rail corridor that connects one end of Kerala to the other – has been mired in controversy. The project, which has been in the making for the past 12 years, has drawn flak from activists, engineers, and the people who will be displaced by land acquisition for the project.

The state government's ambitious project will have trains of electric multiple units (EMU) with nine cars and extendable to 12 cars each, according to K-Rail. The estimated passenger capacity per train is 75 for a 9-car set with a daily average ridership of 80,000 passengers. The project is expected to reduce travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to about four hours.

The railway line, beginning from Thiruvananthapuram, will have stations in Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam (Kakkanad), Cochin Airport, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod. The proposed station at Kozhikode will be an underground one, those at Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Thrissur will be elevated, and the rest at grade.

A total of 1,383 hectares have to be acquired, out of which 1,198 hectares have been identified as private land. The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the central investment arm of the government, has sanctioned Rs 2,100 crore for the project.

The project is also being opposed by the Congress-led UDF (United Democratic Front). The party alleged that SilverLine was "unscientific and impractical" and that it will put an extreme financial burden on Kerala.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)