Kerala government begins attempts to gain support for rail project, announces compensation

In a bid to overcome the protest against the much-hyped semi-high-speed rail project of the left-front government in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday started deliberation series with representatives of various sections to gain support for the project.

The government also announced a compensation package for acquiring land for the project. Up to four-fold, the market price will be given for land acquired in villages, while in cities up to twofold price would be given. A compensation of Rs. 4.6 lakh is being offered for houses, apart from the compensation for land. Rs. 13,265 crore was earmarked for giving compensation.

Addressing the deliberations with representatives of various sections in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said that the protests being raised by the opposition parties were only aimed at sabotaging a development initiative that was highly required for the state. Apart from reducing Thiruvananthapuram - Kasargod travel time to less than four hours, the eco-friendly project would also help reduce pollution caused by vehicles. The government plans to complete the project by 2025 and would not succumb to the protests, he said.

As per the government estimate around 9,300 buildings would have to be acquired and the total project cost would be around Rs. 63,000 lakh. But opposition parties and a section of experts maintained that the project cost would be around Rs. 1.25 lakh crore and around 20,000 buildings would have to be acquired.

Impact on the environment with natural water flow getting obstructed by the rail lines and massive requirement of construction materials leading to exploitation of quarries and the huge financial obligations of the cash strapped exchequer are the major concerns being raised against the project.

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