THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: SilverLine is a dream project of the state and there is no alternative to it, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the assembly on Tuesday. He said the allegation that the project would divide the state into two was baseless and explained that flyovers and bridges would be constructed to minimise the exploitation of nature.
“The construction of the project will also take into account the environment. It is not true that the project will create natural disasters. Studies are underway to minimise the use of natural resources,” the CM said. The project can be implemented in an environment-friendly manner.
He said the development of the existing railway line will not replace SilverLine. “The speed of the existing trains can only be increased by straightening 626 curves on the railway lines in the state which will take at least two decades. For instance, Rajdhani Express, the fastest train in the country itself, cannot go faster in Kerala due to these curves. SilverLine can address this.”
He also sought to allay the fears about embankments that would be constructed for the project. “Embankments will account for 55% of the total length of SilverLine. But for the most part, the height is less than five metres. The study on the feasibility of high-speed rail was initiated by the UDF government,” he said while replying to the questions of Shafi Parambil and Roji M John. The then UDF government had supported it. It is not clear why the UDF is opposing it now.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan alleged the detailed project report (DPR) itself is faulty. The state government did not want even to have a discussion on the project, which costs more than Rs 1.25 lakh crore, in the assembly, he said. To this, the CM said the government is ready to discuss the project in the next assembly session when the legislators who had not spoken about it would also get a chance to raise their points.