Face off between staff of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Semi High Speed Rail Project and the people who would be displaced from the land to be acquired for the work has become a daily routine in Kerala. At no point of time in history, the State has seen this kind or resistance and opposition to a development project, according to Wednesday’s editorial in Magalam, a popular pro-development and privatisation newspaper in the State.
But what has come as a shocker to the Kerala Government, the main promoter of the semi high speed rail project, was a statement issued on Wednesday by Mathews Mar Thimothios, Metropolitan of Malankara Orthodox Church, who in a heart rending plea has asked the Government to put the project in abeyance.
The Metropolitan said developments of all kind are resplendent with hope and happiness. “If people lose their dwelling places and are displaced from their residences and farm lands, the project would bring only tears and discontentment to the victims. This would lead to the loss of purity and serenity of the project. Hence the Government should immediately put on hold the land acquiring process,” the Metropolitan said in a signed statement.
The 529.45 km long rail track connecting Kasaragod in the north with Thiruvananthapuram in the south would bring the commuting time from the present 12 hours to less than four hours, claims the Government of Kerala. A heavy posse of policemen and armed cops of the Special Armed Battalion of the Kerala Police accompany the revenue officials deputed for installing stone markers in the land meant for acquisition. The owners of the land are aggrieved over the indifference of the Government to their demand to provide alternate land and houses.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has declared from all public platforms that come whatever may, his government would go ahead with the implementation of the Rs 64,000 crore project. “The high speed journey should not get sinned by the tears of the poor, oppressed and downtrodden sections. We are yet to provide basic health and education facilities to the people in the State. The Government should have clarity on its priorities. The best option is not to go ahead with the project because the resistance by poor sections would lead to total anarchy in the State,” said the Metropolitan.
Meanwhile, K Purushothaman, former General Manager, State Bank of India’s Global Market, said in a statement that the detailed project report of the “silver line” was full of gaps, inconsistencies and mismatch. “Considering the high stakes in this much-debated project of the Kerala Government, the DPR needs to be vetted by an expert committee comprising experts from areas lile technology, project finance, law, environment, earth sciences, governance and human rights,” said Purushothaman.
The Government has installed stone markers along the 140 km route through which the tracks would be laid despite massive agitation by the population. Most of the stone markers have been removed by the people affected though the police and revenue officials have warned of dire consequences. According to K-Rail officials, stone markers would soon be installed along the 390 km stretch.