THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A majority of state’s voters approves the proposed high speed rail project connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, a survey has found. The findings of the research organisation ‘C fore’ say 86 per cent of the 13,447 people interviewed are in favour of the project.
The survey was carried out in 11 districts from randomly selected people in the voters list, cutting across castes and communities.
Those who supported the project said it would cut short the travel time, reduce pollution and accidents and act as a catalyst for development. People who opposed the project cited displacement of people due to land acquisition, denial of livelihood for farmers, wastage of money and reduced green cover as reasons for their stand. The respondents sought adequate compensation, rehabilitation, planning an underground project etc.
Interestingly, the survey found the awareness level about the project is relatively low among respondents belonging to rural areas and who are not graduates. The Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (KHSRCL) is carrying out the project.
The proposed corridor starts at Thiruvananthapuram (Kochuveli) and ends at Kannur with nine stations, the major ones being Kochi and Kozhikode.