KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has said the Central government cannot play hide and seek on SilverLine anymore and asked it to explain its stand on the social impact assessment (SIA) being carried out by the state government for the proposed project. “Is the state government the competent authority to conduct SIA for the project? Does the project pass through Puducherry?” the court asked on Thursday.
Justice Devan Ramachandran also orally observed that if the state government makes it clear that the land where the survey is being conducted will not be frozen and the cooperative banks will allow them to mortgage their land, the fear in the mind of the people regarding the survey can be allayed and the government can go ahead with the project very smoothly. But the state government is yet to clarify these issues.
Besides, it is yet to answer the court’s question of whether the concrete stones laid as part of the SIA would be removed after the completion of the survey or left permanently in the land. “Are the survey stones laid by the authorities permanent?” asked the court.
It wanted to know whether the Centre is in favour of the SIA survey or not. It is being done by the government on the ground that it has got in-principle approval from the the Railway Board. The project is a joint venture in which the Centre has 49% share. The Centre would also benefit from the project.
“The Government of India is also an equal partner in K-Rail, so your responsibility to answer all these questions is equal,” observed the court. The court also asked the Centre and state government to clarify whether prior individual notice should be given to the owners of the land where the survey stones are laid.
Is SIA survey done in violation of rules: HC
Kochi: The owners get panicky when, all of a sudden, the officials enter their land and place the survey stones. As the Centre is an equal partner in the project, it is also its responsibility to see that the survey is being conducted in accordance with the law. In fact, the state government is supposed to keep the Centre informed of these developments in connection with the joint venture.
Whether the SIA can be carried out in pieces of land which do not come under the proposed alignment for the project? The Centre should also answer whether a survey could be done for the pre-investment projects involving more than `100 crore without the final approval of the central cabinet committee. The court said the Centre should also inform the court whether the SIA survey is being undertaken in violation of the Kerala Survey and Boundary Rules. It cannot “play a hide-and-seek” game on these issues anymore.