The State government has not abandoned the proposed SilverLine project. Permission will have to be given for the project; if not now, then in future, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
He was replying to questions about the project being forced on the people, during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Mr. Vijayan said the SilverLine project was suitable for the State and would help in its development. Initial indications were that the Union government would give its nod for the project. However, some interventions had led it to hesitate. Permission for the project would have to be given at some stage. But with the Union government not ready to give the go-ahead as yet, the State could not oppose it and move forward with the project implementation.
Asked about Railways’ plan to introduce high-speed trains at reduced cost, Mr. Vijayan said experts had already made it clear that other Railway projects for running trains at high speed by correcting alignment were not feasible in the State immediately. “The State needs a semi-high-speed railway project, whatever be its name. It can only be implemented with a new track.”
Mr. Vijayan said that along with laying concrete markers for the social impact study of SilverLine, geotagging survey would be held to determine the alignment. Extending the term of agencies who had not been able to complete the social impact study was under consideration.
Cases will not be withdrawn
Cases registered by the police against those protested against SilverLine pertained to destruction of public property, and the government was not considering their withdrawal, he said.
On the Opposition allegation on attacks on protesters by the police, Mr. Vijayan said there was no case against those opposing the project. Cases were registered only against those who had created law-and-order problems and had destroyed public property. Such cases would not be withdrawn, as is the usual government stance in such cases.
