Kochi (Kerala) [India], August 28 (ANI): CPI's Ernakulam District conference has harshly criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in its working report which was presented in the conference on Saturday.
Kochi (Kerala) [India], July 26 (ANI): The Railway Board on Tuesday clarified to the Kerala High Court that it has not granted any approval for the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project of the Kerala government.
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 16 (ANI): Kerala government on Monday decided to drop the on-site social impact study for the K-Rail's SilverLine semi high-speed rail corridor and decided to opt for a GPS-enabled study instead.
Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 10 (ANI): While addressing a press conference in Kochi on Monday, the United Democratic Front (UDF) Convenor MM Hassan cited the probabilities of the Thrikkakara bypolls and asked the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan if the SilverLine project will be dropped if Left Democratic Front (LDF) loses elections. The Thrikkakara bypolls are scheduled to be conducted on May 31, whose votes will be counted on June 3.
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
Kannur (Kerala) [India], April 22 (ANI): A day after the clash broke out between the Congress workers and police in Thiruvananthapuram against the SilverLine project, the protestors in the Edakkad area of Kannur removed the survey stones laid by the k-rail officials on Friday.
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 19 PTI Accusing the Congress-led opposition of pushing the state to the 19th century Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said his government would go ahead with its ambitious SilverLine semi-high speed rail project also known as K-Rail as it was meant for the needs of future generations Vijayan who is also a veteran CPIM leader alleged that the Congress-led opposition in Kerala had always been reactionary Development projects are implemented foreseeing the needs of the future generations The government would go ahead with the K Rail project with determination the Chief Minister said addressing a political meeting organised by the LDF here to expose the false propaganda of the Congress-led UDF and the BJP against the project The Chief Minister said that what the LDF said in its election manifesto was the comprehensive development of the state Claiming that a vast majority of people were often out of development Vijayan said the LDF government envisages a development that touches all aspects of life All sectors should be developed Infrastructure development is an important factor We have limited resource capacity The budget cannot afford the full cost the Chief Minister said adding that the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board KIIFB was constituted to address the issue of funds in executing the projects In his address CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran urged the people of the state to stand with the LDF government to implement the SilverLine project Reaching out to the people opposing the project Rajendran said the Chief Minister has repeatedly stated that those who lose their land for the project would be rehabilitated The SilverLine project expected to reduce travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to around four hours is being opposed by the UDF which has been alleging that it is unscientific and impractical besides putting a huge financial burden on the state The CPIM-led LDF government contended that the UDF is anti-development The 530-km stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod would be developed by K-Rail a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways Starting from the state capital SilverLine trains would have stoppages at Kollam Chengannur Kottayam Ernakulam Thrissur Tirur Kozhikode and Kannur before reaching Kasaragod PTI TGB TGB SS SS
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 12 (ANI): Union Minister for States V Muraleedharan visited the areas which are likely to be affected by the passing of SilverLine project in Chirayinkeezhu (rural Thiruvanthapuram) on Tuesday.
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
