KOCHI/T’PURAM: The Railway Board on Thursday told the Kerala High Court that neither the Centre nor the Railways has approved or concurred with the social impact assessment for the SilverLine project. However, the K-Rail corporation asserted within a few hours that land acquisition comes within the purview of the state government, and hence it does not require the Union government’s permission to acquire land for its flagship project.
The Railway Board, in a statement in the High Court, said the Union government and the Railways have not approved or concurred with the social impact assessment for the SilverLine project. “The project is not yet sanctioned,” it submitted. Nor have the Centre and the Railways concurred with or requested the state government to lay survey stones or marks during the course of the survey. “The In-Principle Approval (IPA), only for taking up pre-investment activities, has been conveyed by the Ministry of Railways. Granting of IPA only means the presentation of DPR etc which brings out the complete details of the project including financials,” the Board said.
Sufficient details for technical feasibility are not available in the DPR and the proposed alignment is found to be passing through railway land near Mahe, it said. Hence K-Rail has been advised to provide detailed technical documents such as alignment plan, particulars of railway land and private land, crossings over existing railway network, duly depicting affected railway asset through Zonal Railway after site verification for detailed examination of the project and to arrive at a conclusion about the feasibility of the project. No financial approval has been granted to the project as per the Ministry of Finance’s guidelines, the Railway Board said.
In its affidavit, the K-Rail submitted that the order issued by the government said specifically that the planting of survey stones had been dispensed with and the it uses either the geo-tagging method or mark on permanent structures for demarcation of the boundaries. The court directed the Director of Survey and Land Records to file a statement with regard to laying survey stones. The K-Rail issued the release in the evening in response to the Railway Board’s statment in the court.
Project has in-principle permission, says K-Rail
K-Rail said the SilverLine project has got in-principle nod and as per the office memorandum issued by the Union Finance Ministry in 2016, there is a slew of pre-investment activities that can be done prior to a major project. These include preparation of feasibility reports, DPRs, pilot experiments, survey and investigation. “Based on this the state government has the right to acquire land and conduct social impact assessment.
“Therefore the government can lay boundary stones along the alignment,” K-Rail said, adding the procedures regarding the land acquisition being a matter that comes under the state government’s jurisdiction, no special clearance is needed from the Union government or the Railway Board.
What they said
Railway Board
Union government and Railways have not approved or concurred with the social impact assessment for the SilverLine project.
Sufficient details for technical feasibility are not available in the DPR.
K-Rail
SilverLine has got in-principle nod. As per a 2016 order by the Centre, a slew of pre-investment activities can be carried out.
Land acquisition comes under state, no special clearance needed from Centre, Railway Board