Centre did not give Rs 2,125 crore for Sabari Rail line; CM responds to Centre

Friday 09 August, 2024 | 12:03 AM READ MALAYALAM VERSION

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday came down heavily on Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's statement in the Parliament that Kerala's complacency was the reason behind the delay of the Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari railway line. Speaking at a press conference, the Chief Minister said that Kerala has been facing bad experiences from the Centre not only in the case of the Sabari rail line but in all matters related to the railways.

"The Centre did not give Rs 2125 crores for the Sabari rail line project. It was the Railway's share to acquire land for the three rail projects. Of this, Rs 1,823 crore has been spent on the steps, including the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari rail route. The remaining works are in progress. The Union Minister's statement is unfortunate, baseless and politically motivated. The statement is aimed at misleading people. The Centre is trying to escape from its responsibilities without fulfilling them. The state had not raised any objections when the Centre announced that it would construct the Chengannur-Pamba railway line instead of the Sabari route. Yet, the Centre is blaming Kerala out of its political interest," the CM said.

"The Centre has been consistently ignoring Kerala's demands for railway development. It did not announce any railway projects for Kerala in this year's budget. People know who is showing a lacklustre attitude regarding the projects in Kerala," he added.

Steps taken by Kerala for Sabari rail line (As said by the Chief Minister)

Acquired 70 km of land for the project. Informed Centre that the state would bear 50% of the expenses.
Yet, the Centre did not take any action. Estimated amount rose by 36% to Rs 3,811 crore
Kerala said that it was ready to pay 50 per cent of this amount by taking a loan through KIIFB.
Although the state demanded a concession by asking the Centre not to slash its borrowing limit by including this loan in the public debt, the Centre did not give any reply.