THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The cost of completion of SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project will be around Rs 1.2 lakh crore and it will take 15-20 years for completion, said Metro Man E Sreedharan. Speaking at a seminar on SilverLine organised by the Institution of Engineers here on Thursday, Sreedharan termed the state government going ahead with the project a total blunder.
Sreedharan said that at least 25,000 families will have to be rehabilitated for the project. Any new railway line proposed in the state should be either elevated or underground. In that case, the cost will be lesser than what is proposed for SilverLine.
Responding to questions at the seminar, the Metro Man criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for misguiding MLAs during assembly discussions. “Officials seem to be giving wrong information to the government. It’s the duty of technical experts to point out all implications of the project. I am surprised why the transport and finance secretaries are not pointing these out to the government. They should muster the courage to explain the same to the chief minister,” he said.
Sreedharan criticised state government officials for not providing proper responses to queries raised by the Railway Board on the project. Responding to questions on Return on Investment from the project, Sreedharan said such projects should not be assessed in that manner.
These should be financially feasible so that it can be run with the revenue generated and the loans can be paid, he said. To another question on standard gauge, Sreedharan indicated that if tied up with high-speed rail, it would help in the long run.
CM invited to SilverLine debate on May 4
T’Puram: The Kerala State Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi, which is holding a debate on SilverLine on May 4, has invited CM Pinarayi Vijayan to attend it. In a letter sent to CM’s private secretary on Thursday, samithi president K Aravindakshan invited the CM to the debate and “present his valuable views to the august audience.”
The letter said, “While proponents of the project claim it will pave the way for a major leap in the development of the state, its opponents say it will have a disastrous impact on the state’s sociology, ecology, economy and political spheres.”