Kozhikode
The Anti-K Rail Protest Committee plans to go to any required extent if the State government did not back out from the SilverLine semi high speed rail project. Activist C.R. Neelakantan, who opened an anti-K-Rail convention at Kallai here on Tuesday, said that they had no other way but to fight against the project. "This is not about whether you lose your house or not. The whole population of Kerala will be victimised and the future generations will be debt-ridden", he said adding that the SilverLine project would be the end of development in Kerala if it was implemented.
Citing various parts of the Detailed Project Report of the project, Mr. Neelakantan said that it was confusing and had a lot of contradictions when compared with the feasibility study report. "The feasibility study says the cost for constructing a tunnel is ₹210 crores per kilometre. But the DPR says it will be ₹100 crore. How does the estimated cost come down to 51% for a project which may take years to complete?" Mr. Neelakantan questioned. He pointed out the contradiction in the nature of land in both the documents. "Considering the pace at which the Delhi Metro progressed, this project will take at least 37 years to be completed. By then, the cost will escalate beyond all bounds", he said, adding that the project would be a financial disaster for the State.
He also criticised the lack of proper foresight with regard to the environment of the State. "After the floods in 2018, the government had come up with a statement that Kerala was flood-prone and there needed to be more channels to let the rain water flow free. The same government is planning to build a rail on 8 to 15 metre-high embankments", he said. The DPR mentions that embankments were favoured over viaducts, even as the latter is more convenient and environment friendly, in order to cut costs. But the money saved thus is too less in comparison to the loss a flood could cause to the State, Mr. Neelakantan said.
Activist Dr. Azad delivered the keynote address on the occasion. Anti-K-Rail Protest Committee chairman T.T. Ismail, in his presidential address, said that their protest was for the environment and for survival and that political affiliations were irrelevant in it.
Councillor P. Usha Devi was present at the convention in which hundreds of people took part.
