Staff Reporter
Kozhikode
The semi-high speed railway line project (SilverLine) proposed by the State government is a continuation of the progressive policies implemented by Left Front governments in the past, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem has said.
Opening a seminar organised by the Kozhikode district committee of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) here on Wednesday, he said that it would be implemented only after a detailed environmental study.
Mr. Kareem said that the project would not cause any ecological damage as being propagated by certain people. None of the people, whose land would have to be acquired for the project, were unhappy with it. They were convinced with the Chief Minister’s assurance on compensation and rehabilitation package. Only some politicians who were opposed to it were playing drama with the help of some media organisations, he claimed.
The CPI(M) leader said that SilverLine would help reduce consumption of fossil fuels, thereby leading to less carbon footprint. International agencies were willing to give loans for the project because they were convinced of the feasibility. To get the loan, the government would not agree to any conditions that were against the State’s interests, he said.
