After years of delay, Sabarimala railway project kicks off

The 111-km railway line from Angamaly in Ernakulam dist to Erumeli in Kottayam dist, which is around 40 kms from Sabarimala, was announced by Centre in 1998

The recent decision of the Kerala government to bear 50% cost of the Sabari Railway Project has given a fresh lease of life to the two-decades-old project that aims at providing railway connectivity to Sabarimala Ayyappa temple pilgrims.

The decision has been criticised as a political stunt of the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala as the Assembly elections are fast approaching. This is because much time and money have been wasted over the project.

The 111-km railway line from Angamaly in Ernakulam district to Erumeli in Kottayam district, which is around 40 kms from Sabarimala, was announced by the Centre in 1998. Along with connecting Sabarimala to lakhs of pilgrims, the project will also connect the high-range district of Idukki and suburbs of Kottayam and Ernakulam in the initial phase and Pathanamthitta district in the second, giving a boost to the economic development of the region.

The tussle between the Centre and state government over cost-sharing ended up wasting two decades while the cost went up from Rs 517 crore to Rs 2815 crore. The project may still take years to materialise, as there are still concerns about environmental impact and protests over land acquisition.

Congress leader and former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy accused the Left Front government of making it an election stunt, as it had wasted time over the project earlier.

However, the UDF government led by Chandy also sat on the project for nearly five years and finally took the decision to bear 50% cost of the project in December 2015, while its rule almost ended.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government that came to power in May 2016 scrapped the decision and asked the Centre to meet the full cost considering Sabarimala Ayyappa temple's importance.

Hindu Aikya Vedi state president R V Babu said that the present decision could be seen only as an effort to repair the image of the government caused by its stand on Sabarimala women's entry issue.

"The government seems to be trying to create an impression that they are trying to develop Sabarimala by announcing the Sabarimala airport project and deciding to meet half the cost of the railway line," he said, adding that the successive CPM and Congress-led governments in Kerala are answerable to the people for delaying the project.

A total of 470 hectares of land is required for the project, and steps for acquiring land are in progress. The initial stretch of seven kilometres has been laid and Kaladi railway station, one of the 14 railway stations envisaged in the project, has been completed. In the next phases, the railway line is proposed to be extended up to Thiruvananthapuram.

Sabari Rail Action Council leader Gopalan Venduvazhy said the government should expedite steps to acquire lands by addressing the concerns of those losing land.