Kerala govt brainstorming to settle SilverLine project dispute, waiting for social impact study

Kochi (Kerala) [India], April 5 (ANI): The Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad on Tuesday said that the state government is brainstorming over the Silverline semi-high-speed rail project to settle disputes.
“The government will conduct a social impact study. We will understand what are the difficulties. We are thinking about solving and implementing the project. The government is considering whether the project can be implemented without any difficulty. We are waiting for a social impact study and environmental impact study because many issues around them are being pointed out,” said Prasad.
He further added that a discussion will be held with all the stakeholders to seek their opinion.
“Everyone has the right to protest. They can protest with regard to matters related to their lives. There will be discussions with the affected persons. Their opinions will be sought. The plan is to do so because we want to resolve the issue. Let the study report come first. Let’s see if it can be fixed. Whether or not it can be resolved is something which can be considered only after the report,” he said.
The Minister further slammed the central government over amendments made to Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).
“The EIA Act was destroyed by the Central government by amending it. Those who did not speak anything about it (EIA) have started speaking about it here in Kerala against the Silverline project,” he said.
The 529-km SilverLine railway project will link Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in north Kerala, covering 11 districts through 11 stations. The journey between two stations is expected to take four hours, whereas it currently takes 12 hours.
The project is also being opposed by Congress-led UDF, which has been alleging that the project is “unscientific and impractical” and will put a huge financial burden on the state. (ANI)