Thiruvananthapuram : Amidst heated debates on the feasibility of various railway projects including the Sabari rail project and the Silver-line project, the union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Kerala government has not been very cooperative on railway projects and stated that a lot more can be done in the state provided there is government support for land acquisition.
Responding to a question from Congress MP Adoor Prakash, Mr. Vaishnaw said, “I would like to place on record that the Kerala government has not been very cooperative on railway projects. I request the MPs to use their good offices to get the support for land acquisition. projects can be taken up only if the State government supports land acquisition”.
While replying to the question on whether the government proposes to conduct a feasibility study for extending Angamali-Sabarimala railway line from Erumeli to Vizhinjam International Seaport, railway minister said the port has no connection with the Erumeli line and that the nearest rail head to the port is Nemom. The minister also said that though fund allocation has increased manifold but pace of execution of project is dependent on expeditious land acquisition.
Rs 3011 crore outlay for rail projects
Even though the main demands of the state including a declaration on setting up of AIIMS and Rs 5000 crores towards the Vizhinjam international port did not find a mention, the budget has allotted Rs 3011 crores for various railway projects in the state. Meanwhile, the details of the allocation has not been detailed in the budget.
Regarding the Sabari railway line, the railway minister stated that studies are ongoing on the alignment between Angamaly and Erumeli as well as on another alignment from Chengannur to Pamba. The more feasible option will be chosen for development. Ashwini Vaishnaw assured that there would be no shortage of funds for railway projects in Kerala and urged the state government to cooperate in acquiring the required 459 hectares of land for track expansion.
Even though the main demands of the state including a declaration on setting up of AIIMS and Rs 5000 crores towards the Vizhinjam international port did not find a mention, the budget has allotted Rs 3011 crores for various railway projects in the state. Meanwhile, the details of the allocation has not been detailed in the budget. Kerala States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
