Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the state BJP and the Congress-led opposition of creating "needless controversy" over K-Rail, calling it a project which Kerala will eventually need.
He made the statement while addressing the state Assembly which got underway on December 5.
Last week, he informed the state Assembly that the K-Rail project is not shelved and is awaiting clearance from the Centre.
"The project is still there despite hurdles created by the state BJP and Congress. The project is not shelved and the Centre has not informed us that the detailed project report is incomplete," said Vijayan in the Assembly.
"There was a political move against the project. No land for the project has been acquired and the order that has come out will not be withdrawn. Just because a study will be done does not mean that land will be acquired. The cases registered against the protesters will not be withdrawn," he asserted.
Metroman E Sreedharan was one of the first to say that the K-Rail proposal was "idiotic" and will never be implemented as it's neither economically feasible nor environmentally viable.
If completed, the project will see a 529.45 km corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod with semi-high speed trains covering the distance in around four hours.
Both Congress and the BJP say this project is needed for Kerala given the massive cost in excess of Rs 1.50 lakh crore and an environmental and economic disaster besides being a huge burden for the next generation. Vijayan and his team have been saying the cost will be around Rs 65,000 crore only.
(Published 12 December 2022, 10:43 IST)
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