Thiruvananthapuram Apr 26 PTI A panel discussion on Kerala governments SilverLine project has run into a controversy with two eminent panelists on Tuesday backing out of the programme citing lack of clarity in the invitations extended to them Alok Kumar Verma a retired Chief Bridge Engineer who was part of preparing the preliminary feasibility report of the SilverLine alias K-Rail project but later raised stiff objection and environmentalist Sridhar Radhakarishnan announced backing out of the two-hour-long discussion scheduled on April 28 at the Mascot Hotel here They were inducted in the panel of those speaking against the project The development follows withdrawal of social observer Joseph C Mathew a known critic of the states ruling LDF government from the panel by the organisers Verma had demanded that the government should be the organiser of the panel discussion Seeking clarity on this and various other issues related to the project Verma had written a letter to State Chief Secretary V P Joy Verma told reporters in New Delhi that he has decided to withdraw from the panel discussion as he did not receive any response from the state government I will not be able to come and attend the panel discussion The government is not willing to listen about serious deficiencies and staggering fudging and fabrication in the feasibility report and the DPR for SilverLine project he said In his letter to the Chief Secretary Verma had suggested that the invitation should come from the Chief Secretary and the moderator should be a senior secretary of the Government of Kerala He had also suggested including a serving officer of the Indian Railway as co-moderator Radhakrishnan alleged there was political interference to sabotage the discussion by eliminating the role of the chief secretary in organising the panel discussion and placing K-Rail Development Corporation Ltd as the new organisers It is a mockery and farce from the side of the government he alleged Radhakrishnan was inducted in the panel by the K-Rail Development Corporation after withdrawing Mathew a known critic of the LDF government from the panel of those speaking against the project The decision to withdraw Mathew was criticised by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan The programme is designed in the format of three experts speaking for the project and three experts speaking against it in the presence of 25-50 invited audience Subodh Jain retired Member-Engineering SN Raghuchandran Nair president Chamber of Commerce and Industry Trivandrum and Saji Gopinath vice chancellor Kerala Digital University were included as panelists to speak in favour of the semi-high speed railway but some changes were made in it also Interestingly no one from the Anti-Silver Line Peoples Forum a platform which spearheads protests across the state against the multi-crore infrastructure initiative has been invited to the discussion The Pinarayi Vijayan government is coming up with the panel discussion on the K-Rail project at a time when they are facing intense protests from opposition parities and a section of local people who may be affected by the initiative against its implementation One of the major criticisms by the opposition Congress and BJP is that the Left government is not listening to the concerns of common people and the views of those who oppose it The SilverLine rail corridor envisaged to cover a 530-kilometre stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod is estimated to cost around Rs 64000 crore The project aims to make transportation easy along the entire north-south of Kerala and reduce travel time to less than four hours as against 12-14 hours PTI TGB TGB SS SS

Thiruvananthapuram Apr 21 PTI The attempt to lay survey stones for the Kerala governments ambitious SilverLine rail corridor project which was resumed after a gap in the state triggered a clash between local residents and the police near Kaniyapuram in the capital district on Monday As the protest intensified the officials were forced to stop the procedure temporarily and leave the place A group of local people led by the activists of the opposition Congress blocked the officials when they arrived with the equipment to lay survey stonesThe clash broke out after the police who escorted the officials tried to remove the protesters from the area In visuals aired by local television channels a policeman could be seen kicking some of the protesters with his boot The injured protesters were rushed to a nearby hospital laterOne of the protesters said they would continue to gather at the place and they would never allow officials to lay the survey stonesHe also said the residents of the place did not get any prior information regarding the procedure However police rejected the allegations of high-handedness against the protesters saying they did not boot any protesters deliberately but only tried to give protection to K-Rail officials It was after a gap of almost one month that the authorities resumed the survey stone laying process which had led to mass protest in several parts of Kerala since the beginning Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan later visited the injured people at the hospital where they were admitted for treatment Though the Left government is going ahead with the multi-crore semi-high-speed rail project it is being opposed by the opposition Congress and the BJP as well as by the local people in many parts of the southern state The SilverLine rail corrdior envisaged to cover a 530-kilometre stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod is estimated to cost around Rs 64000 croreThe project aims to make transportation easy along the entire north south of Kerala and reduce travel time to less than four hours as against 1214 hours PTI LGK LGK LGK SS SS

Thiruvananthapuram Apr 20 PTI At a time when the Kerala government is going ahead with its ambitious semi-high speed railway project setting aside criticisms a former Indian Railway official part of its feasibility study on Wednesday came out against the mammoth initiative claiming that the people of the state will be burdened by the project which may eventually costs Rs two lakh croreAlok Kumar Verma who had prepared the preliminary feasibility report of the Silver Line alias K-Rail project said the original proposal of the state government was for a broad gauge line and the decision for adopting a standard gauge was taken by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd KRDCLRecalling that the proposal sent to the Railway Board in 2017 was for a broad gauge line and not a standard gauge he said the sanction given by them to prepare a detailed plan was also for the formerThere was no approval for a standard gaugethe standard gauge has been chosen by the KRDCL and this is the main reason why the Centre is not willing to bear any responsibility or any cost of this project Verma told reporters hereBoth the Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways have made it clear that most of the cost may be 100 per cent of the project cost or the liability will be on the shoulder of the Kerala government he saidThe retired officer arrived here to meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior government officials to flag concerns regarding the mammoth infrastructure project However he reportedly did not get audience with Vijayan Later he met the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan and discussed various aspects of the projectWhile detailing the economic impact of the semi-high speed rail corridor project he said it is the responsibility of the Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways to provide rail infrastructure everywhere and hence the point is why should Kerala people have to pay for a railway lineThe cost of the railway line should be borne by the Centre So the Kerala people are going to be burdened by a project which may eventually cost Rs two lakh crore It does not make any sense Verma addedAsked about the KRDCLs argument that Verma had only a three-month-long association with the rail corridor project the retired officer charged that the agency knows nothing but to lie and they have spoiled the whole project PTI LGK ROH ROH

Thiruvananthapuram Jan 27 PTI A delegation of the opposition UDF on Thursday met Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at the Raj Bhavan here and submitted a memorandum requesting him not to give assent to the proposed ordinance amending the state Lok Ayukta Act by the Left government in Kerala The front leaders led by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan appraised him about the concerns regarding the amendment and pointed out the legal aspects against it In the memorandum Satheesan alleged that the justifications by the government to bring the amendment appeared to be frivolous politically driven and in stark contravention of the established laws in this country In this ordinance the executive is openly proclaiming a statute that has been in effect for 22 years to be unconstitutional and is proposing an ordinance to change the provision This is ultra vires and goes against the fundamental tenets of the Indian constitution the UDF representation pointed out With the legislative assembly session slated for next month there seems to be no compelling reason to change the law which has been in existence for over 22 years it alleged It further charged that the only immediate reason that could be perceived is that the Lok Ayukta is about to take up cases against the Chief Minister in the relief fund misappropriation and the Higher Education Minister in the university issue It should be understood that the government is expecting an unfavourable verdict in these cases and this ordinance is a shield to guard against any unsavoury decisions from the Lok Ayukta Moreover the proposed amendment would serve as a catalyst for rampant corruption and nepotism it said In these compelling circumstances taking into consideration the interest of the State and public at large I request your good self to abstain from providing your assent to the Kerala Lok Ayukta amendment ordinance 2021 Satheesan added He later told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan that the memorandum was given as a continuation of his earlier letter to the Governor requesting the same and the present one has detailed references about legal aspects against passing such an ordinance He also said the contested provision in the ordinance was part of the original bill of the Lok Ayukta Act 1999 when it was first introduced in the legislative assembly during the tenure of the Marxist party veteran E K Nayanar as Chief Minister However due to widespread objections from members of both the opposition and the ruling party during the debate on February 22 1999 this was withdrawn he said Actually this government is pushing through legislation that the Kerala Legislative Assembly debated and rejected he added Besides Satheesan former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Ramesh Chennithala both Congress C P John CMP Mons Joseph Kerala Congress G Devarajan Forward Bloc and others were part of the delegation The CPIM-led LDF government in Kerala on Tuesday justified its decision to amend the Lok Ayukta Act saying the move was to ensure natural justice and make it more in accordance with the Constitution Lokpal and similar legislations in other states even as the opposition alleged that it was to undermine the powers of the ombudsman and to facilitate corruption State Minister for Law P Rajeev had said the move to promulgate an ordinance was not a sudden decision as alleged by the opposition but the process began last April during the tenure of the previous government He also said the government considered the suggestion for a new legislation in view of two High Court verdicts saying the Lok Ayukta does not have mandatory jurisdiction but only recommendatory jurisdiction The Advocate General AG also gave legal opinion that Section 14 of the Act was in violation of the Constitutional articles 163164 and suggested to amend it to make it more in accordance with the existing laws in the country he added During the tenure of the previous LDF government the then Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel had to resign from the cabinet days after the state Lokayuktas finding that he had abused his position as a public servant to favour a relative PTI LGK LGK SS SS

Thiruvananthapuram Dec 30 PTI Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan who is at loggerheads with the state government over alleged political interference in the functioning of the Universities on Thursday said he was even ready to transfer the powers of chancellor to the Higher Education Minister who is also the pro chancellor of the Universities I am not interested in being the symbolic head of the universities he told reporters here Khan said it is not possible for him to work as chancellor under this atmosphere I will not be a party to lowering the standards of the Universities I will not be a party to irregular appointments the Governor said adding that he was ready to legally transfer all his powers to the pro chancellor Let them decide in the Cabinet I am ready to transfer all powers to the pro chancellor he said The Governor said he signed the papers reappointing the Vice Chancellor of the Kannur University to avoid a conflict with the government I am taking responsibility I have done something wrong that of course was to avoid conflict But then I realised that even under pressure I should not have done that Khan said about the recent re-appointment of Prof Ravindran as Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University for another four years The Governor on Wednesday had said he had ceased to function as chancellor from December 8 and his office must have forwarded to the state government a notice served to the chancellor by the Kerala High Court on a plea challenging reappointment of the Kannur University vice chancellor Criticising Khan the Opposition Congress today said that his stand not to continue as the Chancellor of universities in the state was illegal and he was not supposed to talk like a child Leader of the opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan asked what authority the Governor has to himself declare that he wont continue in the chancellor post while senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said his move would only adversely impact the independent and transparent functioning of the universities The Governor and state government have been at odds for some time over the formers allegations of political interference in the functioning of the universities Protesting against the alleged bid to undermine the authority of the chancellor Khan had recently shot off a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requesting him to take over as chancellor of universities How could a Governor speak against the law If it is so what is the relevance of legislations passed by the Kerala University The Governor is not anyone above law or criticism He is bound to abide by the law prevailing in the state Satheesan told reporters Alleging that it was illegal for a Governor to declare that he wont continue as a chancellor he said it was not acceptable for him and his party The Governor was not supposed to talk like a child he added Meanwhile Chennithala said he could not approach the Lokayukta against Higher Education Minister R Bindhu over the letter she had written to Khan on the reappointment of the Kannur VC as the Governors office was yet to give him the required documents though it was sought via the Right to Information Act Khans announcement of quitting from the chancellors post without seeking the resignation of the minister who challenged him would pave the way for her and the government to make more mistakes Chennithala warned The abrupt resignation would lead to an administrative crisis in varsities he said PTI LGK TGB APR APR

Thiruvananthapuram Dec 30 PTI The Opposition Congress in Kerala on Thursday came out against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan saying that his stand not to continue as the Chancellor of universities in the state was illegal and he was not supposed to talk like a child Leader of opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan asked what authority did the Governor have to declare himself that he wont continue in the chancellor post while senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said his move would only adversely impact the independent and transparent functioning of the universities The sharp reactions from the opposition party came a day after Khan said he had ceased to function as chancellor from December 8 and his office must have forwarded to the state government a notice served to the chancellor by the Kerala High Court on a plea challenging reappointment of the Kannur University vice chancellor The Governor and state government have been at odds for some time over the formers allegations of political interference in the functioning of the universities Protesting against the alleged bid to undermine the authority of the chancellor Khan had recently shot off a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requesting him to take over as chancellor of universities How could a Governor speak against law If it is so what is the relevance of legislations passed by the Kerala University The governor is not anyone above law or criticism He is bound to abide by the law prevailing in the state Satheesan told reporters Alleging that it was illegal for a Governor to declare that he wont continue as a chancellor he said it was not acceptable for him and his party The governor was not supposed to talk like a child he added Meanwhile Chennithala said he could not approach the Lokayukta against Higher Education Minister R Bindhu over the letter she had written to Khan on the reappointment of the Kannur VC as the Governors office was yet to give him the required documents though it was sought via the Right to Information Act His announcement of quitting from the chancellor post without seeking the resignation of the minister who challenged him would pave the way for her and the government to make more mistakes Chennithala warned The abrupt resignation would lead to a administrative crisis in varsities he said PTI LGK BN BN

Kochi Dec 28 PTI Days after KPCC chief K Sudhakaran had sent a strong warning to Shashi Tharoor over his contradictory stand on the LDF governments Silver Line Rail Corridor project Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan on Tuesday came out supporting the Member of Parliament saying he is now convinced about the concerns raised by the party-led UDF about the multi-crore mammoth initiative Satheesan said Tharoor on Monday gave a reply to a letter which he sent to him attaching the study report prepared by the UDF about the project and also detailing the concerns raised by them regarding that What Tharoor had said earlier that he was yet to study about the rail corridor and now it seems that he is convinced about our stand he told reporters here In the letter he said the questions raised by the UDF are relevant and this was the same which he also wanted to ask Tharoor also made it clear that he has never taken a supportive stand for the project the LoP said The party has the responsibility to make a person convince a matter if he says that he does not understand it and the letter was sent for that purpose he said There was no point in saying that Tharoor adopted a contradictory opinion about the Silver Line Sateesan said adding that as a Congress MP Tharoor can no longer take a different position but can only stand along with the UDF However former KPCC chief Mullappally Ramachandran continued to criticise Tharoor for his reported supportive stand for the mega infrastructure project and his frequent praise for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan He said the Indian National Congress was an organisation which has always upheld party discipline The former union minister also reminded Tharoor that his position as an MP was the result of relentless hard work by hundreds of Congress activists and so he should not say his opinion forgetting his party and its caders Tharoor is a Member of Parliament and a respected leader So it is the All India Congress Committee which should take action in this matter It is inevitable for the AICC to intervene in the issue and take steps to restrain him Ramachandran said Discontent has been brewing in the state unit of Congress for some time against Tharoors reluctance to sign a letter prepared by the MPs from the party-led UDF to the Centre against the state governments semi-high speed rail corridor and his recent open praise of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his investment-friendly initiatives Responding to criticism by his party colleagues Tharoor had tweeted that on some issues it is necessary to put political differences aside He had also said that he would reveal his opinion on the Silver Line project after studying it Kerala PCC KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Sunday said that no one including Tharoor in the party has the authority to oppose its directions and warned the latter that he will be removed from the party if he does not fall in line with its decisions Shashi Tharoor is only a single man in the party One Shashi Tharoor is not the Congress If he falls in line with the party decision he will remain a part of it and if not then he will be out he had said PTI LGK LGK SS SS