KASARAGOD/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two days after minister Saji Cherian kicked up a row and created confusion with his statement on the SilverLine buffer zone, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan corrected the minister. Kodiyeri said the minister had erred in saying that there is no buffer zone. Following this, Cherian corrected his earlier statement saying it was a mistake on his part and that he accepted what the party secretary said.
With the minister and the party secretary coming up with drastically contradictory statements, the confusion and lack of clarity within the government over the project has once again come under public scrutiny. Cherian had said on Monday that the semi-high-speed railway line would not require even one metre of buffer zone. K-Rail managing director Ajith Kumar V said that there would be a buffer zone of five metres on either side of the railway line.
Speaking to the media in Kasaragod on Wednesday, Kodiyeri said the minister erred in saying there is no buffer zone for the SilverLine project. “There will be a buffer zone. What the MD of K-Rail said is correct,” said Balakrishnan in Kasaragod on Wednesday. Though the CPM secretary corrected Cherian, he gave leeway to the minister by saying everybody need not be well-versed with the subject.
After Kodiyeri set aside Saji Cherian’s statement, the minister first said it was not a buffer zone, but a safety zone. He added that the term buffer zone is being used to create confusion. Soon after, the minister retracted his earlier statement on buffer zone. The minister said it was a mistake on his part and accepted the party secretary’s view.