Just have a look at the pathetic condition of the commoners in Kerala now. People are terrified that all their hard work and life savings in the form of land and houses would disappear in the name of a project that matters little to them. The other day, Chengannur native Eliyamma was wailing uncontrollably, holding both my hands. The 92-year-old is horrified she will lose her dwelling in a matter of days.
Among those who are out on the streets, protesting and attempting to throw away the yellow survey stones, are mothers profusely weeping and holding their children by their side, and aged people who can barely walk. These protests are the creations of the commission-driven SilverLine project (K-Rail) which has been drafted to fill the pockets of the ruling front’s politicians.
The CPM had promised the K-Rail implementation “at any cost” in its manifesto and repeated the same after assuming power. As their propaganda goes, it will change the face of Kerala. Yes, indeed! It will change and drive Kerala into a huge debt trap, similar to the one that our neighbour Sri Lanka is now struggling with. Yes, Kerala will become a land of floods and natural calamities. These conclusions have not been arrived at based on assumptions or in blind opposition to development, as the CPM seeks to interpret. These are based on specific data and studies.
An environmental disaster: On the environmental consequences, the less said is better. Through the proposed “dream” project, the Kerala government, in effect, is seeking to build a giant wall of eight metres high and 25 to 30 metres wide from one end of the state to the other. This will be constructed after building concrete walls on both sides and filling it with granite pieces and sand. This construction will be bigger than a two-storey house. Moreover, on both sides, a 30-metre stretch will be kept as the buffer zone. The report clearly states that 55% of the project—292.73 km—will comprise such walls. Of the remaining stretch, 19% or 101.74 km will involve “cutting”. This stretch will be laid by creating a nine-metre wide passage through hills and hillocks after cutting through them and building high retaining walls. An 11.53 km stretch will be built by boring into hills and creating passes. Over-bridges and viaducts would make another 100 km. Thus, 80% of the K-Rail path will drive a wedge across the state.
Kerala’s sensitive geography comprising rivers, hills, wetlands and paddy fields has to be approached with care while implementing any project involving large-scale constructions. The government itself has said that the embankments and bridges for K-Rail will hinder natural drainage and the free flow of water. This will lead to increased incidence of landslides and cavings-in. According to the Environment Impact Assessment report, as many as 164 spots along the proposed K-Rail path are hydrologically sensitive. The study recommends limiting embankments in such places. But the government is conveniently ignoring all such scientific reports.
Out of the 529 km rail corridor, the tracks will be laid over raised embankments for 292.73 km. Similarly, 88.41 km of the tracks will be over concrete pillars while the bridges add up to 12.99 km. Just think, from where are they going to get such a huge volume of sand, gravel and crushed rock? The answer itself will point to large-scale destruction of the environment.
Government on borrowing spree despite being neck-deep in debt: The estimated project cost is `63,941 crore, as per the DPR, while NITI Aayog says it might cost `1.24 lakh crore when it nears completion in 2025. We will go by the DPR itself to make further analysis. According to the government, the Centre or the Railways will provide 10% of the total project cost. The state will bear 30% while the private equity participation will contribute 7%. The remaining 53% will come from external debt and internal borrowings. The 30% cost to be borne by the state government will translate to `19,676 crore. But in the changed scenario, the state’s liability regarding the project doesn’t end there. The Centre has asked it to stand guarantee for the foreign loan. That means, it has to stand guarantee for a whopping `33,700 crore.
This clearly is beyond its means, given its pathetic financial condition. Those at the helm of affairs could have at least sought the opinion of former finance minister Dr Thomas Isaac, during whose term the public debt had more than doubled from Rs 1.5 lakh crore to Rs 3.10 lakh crore. That could have helped the Pinarayi government have a vague idea of the extent of the financial crisis the state is battling now.
Now, consider a situation where the state government decides to stand guarantee for the assistance from foreign lending bodies. Even then, it has to first resolve various technical complexities. The government cannot give guarantees aggregating to an amount exceeding 5% of the GDP in any financial year. The only option before it is to amend the existing law dealing with the same. For that, the Centre should first give its approval to the project.
The CPM double standard: The CPM has been vehemently opposing the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, which has many similarities to the SilverLine project. The same party in Kerala took a stand that it would implement the K-rail project, come what may. When this double-standard got exposed before the masses, its state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan made a meek attempt to defend the party. He claimed that the party opposed the first project as the people were given less compensation for their land. However, it took little time for this argument to fall flat. Ashok Dhawale, CPM central committee member, exposed the double standard in an interview given to a prominent Malayalam channel. “We’re opposing the forceful acquisition of the land belonging to farmers. They should implement no project without taking the public into confidence and their support. We won’t allow anything that would adversely affect the environment. We won’t hand over the land of farmers at any cost,” he said.
The K-Rail project will turn out to be a bitter pill for the CPM to swallow in the days to come. Like what the people of West Bengal did earlier, the masses of Kerala are writing a requiem for the party each passing day.
Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly and former President, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee