KOCHI: The Kerala high court on Tuesday raised four questions to the state government regarding the stones being installed on private lands as part of the social impact study for the SilverLine project.
Considering cases related to the project, justice Devan Ramachandran asked why huge concrete poles engraved K-Rail are being used instead of ordinary stones that are usually used in social impact assessment. Are the stones being installed now permanent or will they be changed as per the alignment of the project, the court asked.
Further, the court asked whether the stones will be removed after the social impact assessment. As land acquisition would take time, can the owners of the lands in which the survey stones have been installed sell or mortgage their properties, the court asked.
State government’s counsel objected to the observations made by the court and submitted that the government can only file appeal against the orders of the court and not the observations. The court said it is concerned about the plight of the people. The government’s counsel replied that the government is equally concerned but issues outside the pleadings on record are being raised. The court said it will keep asking questions as several issues require clarity. The government can refuse to answer but the court will keep on asking questions, the judge said.
The court also said it agrees to the Supreme Court’s stance that courts should not scuttle any project and that it is only trying to ensure that the project is implemented as per the law.
