Railways with another condition: Sabarimala rail line will start only if all land is acquired; Kerala's demand for implementation in two phases rejected

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Although Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw assured the Chief Minister that the long-awaited Angamaly-Sabari rail line of Kerala will be made a reality, the Railways has come up with a new condition.

The Railways has informed that the construction will start only after the entire land from Angamaly to Erumeli is acquired.

The Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) of the Southern Railway wrote a letter to the Transport Secretary on Tuesday stating that the construction should be completed in a single phase and that partial commissioning is not possible.

Kerala had requested that the first phase be implemented from Angamaly, where the survey was conducted and the stone was laid, to Ramapuram. It was also suggested that the second phase could be completed from Ramapuram to Erumeli. Accordingly, about seven kilometers of construction was carried out from Angamaly. Since the project was frozen in 2019, the construction did not proceed.

The Chief Administrative Officer's letter also states that the amount spent by the Railways so far and the amount spent by Kerala for land acquisition will be considered as the share of the Railways and the state in the construction of the Sabarimala railway.

Kerala is demanding that the amount spent by Kerala be exempted from the loan limit. The Railways had informed the government on May 29 that it was not possible. The project should be given unconditional consent.

Earlier, the Railways had proposed that Kerala should pay 50% of the project, but it would have been sufficient to pay in instalments during the completion of the project.

204 hectares of land required

• 204 hectares of land are to be acquired in Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts. Out of 152 hectares in the Ernakulam region, 24.4 hectares have already been acquired.

• The required land in Idukki and up to Ramapuram in Kottayam have been marked. Although mapping has been done in the Erattupetta, Kanjirappally and Erumeli regions, stone laying and studies need to be carried out.

Construction cost of Sabarimala line: ₹3801 crore

Amount Kerala should spend on land acquisition: ₹1400 crore

Total amount to be borne by the state government (including land acquisition): ₹1900 crore