KOCHI: Things seem to be moving forward for the Angamaly-Erumely Sabari Rail Project with the state revenue department set to seek feedback from the district collectors of Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Idukki on the resources available to set up the land acquisition (LA) offices.
The latest development comes in the wake of a government order (GO) issued on September 18 by the revenue department notifying the appointment of a Competent Authority for Land Acquisition for the track doubling project in Alappuzha district.
Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar told TNIE on Sunday that the revenue department’s decision comes in light of a letter that it received from the Union Railway Ministry regarding the land acquisition process for the Sabari project.
“After receiving the letter, the department decided to seek feedback from the collectors of the districts that fall under the project’s alignment. The collectors need to assess the resources available with them for the setting up of the LA offices,” he said.
The minister said, “The letters to the district collectors will be sent within two days. Once the feedback is submitted to the Commissioner for Land Revenue, a meeting will be called to take a decision regarding the number of LA officers that need to be set up. There is already an LA office in Ernakulam, while Kottayam and Idukki don’t have one. Idukki has notified that it won’t need an LA office since only two villages fall under the alignment of the project.”
Earlier, there had been two LA offices functioning in Ernakulam. While one was closed permanently, the remaining one too had stopped functioning.
The latest GO informed the appointment of a Competent Authority for Land Acquisition for LA covering a total length of 44.41km for railway track doubling in the Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha, Thuravoor-Mararikulam, and Alappuzha-Mararikulam reaches of Alappuzha district, as well as for the bypass line project between Palakkad Town and Parali in Palakkad district.
Though the state government seems positive about the setting up of the LA offices, the families who have been trapped financially due to the land acquisition process for the past 28 years emphasised that they would believe such promises only when it comes to fruition.
Two-phase project
The Angamaly-Sabari railway is a two-phase project that will provide new railway stations in 22 towns of six districts and a 270-km parallel railway line through eastern Keralam.
