Kerala CM misleading people over PM's 'positive' response to rail project: BJP

A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded positively to the Kerala semi-high-speed rail project, BJP Kerala leadership alleged that Vijayan was misleading the people.

Vijayan had called on the Prime Minister on Thursday seeking a nod for the rail project. He later told reporters that the PM's response was positive and a favourable outcome was expected.

BJP Kerala president K Surendran said on Friday that Vijayan was trying to mislead the people by stating that the Prime Minister responded positively. The Prime Minister could have given a positive hearing as a courtesy. The centre did not give any nod or assurance on the project. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had also clarified it. The BJP is firm on its demand that the project should be dropped, he said.

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Meanwhile, owing to the lack of nod from the centre for the project demarcation stones were not laid at the 44.28 hectares of railway land required for the green filed rail project. Laying of demarcation stones in private properties was only being initiated amidst the stiff emotional resistance of landowners.

The project, titled SilverLine would require 44.28-hectare land owned by the Railways, 107.98-hectare land owned by various other government agencies and 1074.19-hectare land owned by private parties.

Officials of Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-Rail), a joint-venture initiative of the state government and the Railways implementing the Silver Line project, maintained that the demarcation stones were not being laid in the railway land as it was not necessary for conducting the social impact study.

Also Read | Motive behind Pinarayi's K-Rail project is commission, alleges Congress

"Of the 530 kilometre proposed rail line, already demarcation stones were laid at 175 kilometres. Demarcations stones need not be laid at the railway owned as it was not required to bring under social impact assessment," K-Rail managing director Ajith Kumar told DH.

But railway sources said that the lack of a final nod from the centre could be an obstacle in laying demarcation stones in railway lands. Stone was already laid in many parts of the state government-owned land, said sources.

Meanwhile, on Friday also many parts of Kerala witnessed protests by people and political parties against the laying of demarcation stones.

Even as there were reports that the demarcation activities were stalled by the officials owing to the protest, the K-Rail managing director denied it.

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