KOCHI: Metroman E Sreedharan on Wednesday countered Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's statement that Kerala won't be divided by the K-Rail project, saying wherever the semi high-speed rail line runs on the ground, high concrete or masonry walls have to be provided on either side to prevent trespass of people and animals.
Sreedharan was responding to the Chief Minister's statement at the 'Janasamaksham' programme in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday where he said overbridges or under bridges will be provided every 500 metres in the 530km-long SilverLine project.
Sreedharan said even fencing can't be built on both sides of the railway line as it can be violated easily.
Providing solid walls on either side is a sure environmental disaster as it will block natural drainage and will be an eyesore as well, he said adding that the fate of Kuttanad which gets flooded easily will get repeated over the entire length of 393 km, where K-Rail is at ground level.
Further, over 393 km about 800 ROBs/RUBs will have to be constructed. Each will cost at least about Rs 20 crore. That means a total cost of about Rs 16,000 crore. This cost has not been included in the present estimate. Also, for 800 ROBs/RUBs a lot of additional land has to be acquired which has not been foreseen. The extra cost of land and time for acquisition has to be reckoned with.
On the argument that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of major projects are not made public, Sreedharan said "this is a total lie". "I had prepared DPRs for at least 10 major projects and none of the DPRs was kept away from the public. Why should the govt fool the people by underestimating costs and hiding facts?" he asked.