KOCHI: Even as the state submitted the revised estimate for the Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari Rail project, people whose plots of land were earmarked for acquisition are concerned. The landowners who have been looking forward to the compensation feel that once the state government gets the go-ahead for the SilverLine project, it will forget all about the Sabari rail.
To date, only a 7km stretch from Angamaly to Kalady has been completed. Work including land acquisition on the banks of the Periyar at Kalady is yet to take place. The new estimate is Rs 3,347 crore. In 2017, it was Rs 2,815 crore.
According to Saji Kudiyiripil of Kalady, the project was announced in the 1997-98 railway budget. “However, only a 7km stretch has been constructed. Work on the 104km between Kalady and Erumeli is yet to begin. As a part of the project, land parcels of 900 people have frozen 20 years ago,” he said.
According to Jijo P, a member of the Sabari Railway Action Council, the hearing on the social impact study in Aluva and Kunnathunadu taluks was held recently. “Similarly, the social impact study for the project has been done in Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha taluks of Ernakulam district. However, the hearing on the study is yet to be held. With this, the social impact study in Ernakulam district is almost over,” he said.
“So far, besides the 7km tracks that have been laid, work of the Kalady railway station and the one-kilometre-long bridge across the Periyar at Kalady has also has been completed. The Railways has spent `264 crore for the work so far,” he added.
According to him, only the payment of compensation to remaining landowners is to be done in the Ernakulam district. “Survey stones have been laid for a distance of 70km. However, the Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) survey is yet to be carried out in the remaining 41km stretch,” said Jijo.
According to him, more than Rs 900 crore is required to acquire land. “Beyond the Ernakulam border, the first railway station in the project is in Thodupuzha which comes right after the Thodupuzha river. However, the social impact study for the project is yet to be carried out starting from this point,” he said, adding once the study is conducted and the hearing is completed, there should not be any problem with land acquisition.
According to Saji, the compensation for the land acquired was last paid to around 20 people at Chelamattom village in Kalady in 2011-2012. “After that, no land acquisition process was carried out. Even that amount was paid to the landowners following a directive by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The residents under the aegis of the action council had approached the commission after the state government dragged its feet,” he said.
He said at present, movements like the submission of the revised estimate of the project along with the state government’s readiness to put in 50 per cent of the cost happened after the Central government placed a condition for the approval of the K-Rail project. “The state government was asked to bring the Sabari Rail also under the new corporation set up to carry out the K-Rail project. But it has to be seen if the project will see any new developments once the K-Rail gets approved by the Central Government,” he added.
25 YEARSof slumber
“It has been more than 25 years since the project was announced. All land transactions have been frozen on this stretch since then. People are facing a lot of hardships. They can’t even apply for a bank loan,” said Saji. The landowners were ready to give up their land which was being acquired at the prevailing market rate. Meanwhile, the state has said the rail project could be constructed by the engineering procurement construction method. The state has also waived the Railways’ 30 per cent establishment charge of land acquisition. The estimate was revised after the aerial survey (Lidar). The estimate has been handed over to the Railways Ernakulam office.
On a slow path
1998: Project sanctioned by Railways
2006: Special tahsildar offices set up at Perumbavoor and Pala
2008: Revenue department completed all formalities of land acquisition in Chelamattom, Perumbavoor, Koovapady, Vengoor West, Rayamangalam and Asmannor villages
2010: Special tahsildar office set up at Muvattupuzha
2010: 7km of tracks completed
October 2011: Muvattupuzha village land acquisition formalities
2017: Railways started the pre-non-interlocking works at the Angamaly railway station
Stations in Phase 1
Stations in Phase 2
Stations in Phase 3
Extention projects
The state planning board had earlier called for the Pala-Ettumanoor extension. “Railway officials should implement two extension projects — Erumeli-Punalur and Pala-Ettumanoor. The Ettumanoor extension only requires the Railways to construct an extra 15km, which can be used as a suburban network for Ernakulam,” said Jijo.