No more 'Cold Storage': Kerala commits ₹1,900 crore as High Court clears hurdles of Sabarimala Rail project

KOCHI: The Railways has clarified in the High Court that the Kerala government will bear half the cost of the Sabarimala railway line, amounting to ₹1,900 crore of the total ₹3,800 crore project. Following this commitment, the decision to freeze the project has been withdrawn. In an affidavit filed by Shabin Asaf, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Southern Railway Construction Department, it was stated that further steps will be expedited in collaboration with various state departments.

This explanation was provided during the hearing of a petition filed by the State Federation of Sabari Rail Action Councils. A division bench, including Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice V.G. Arun, subsequently disposed of the petition, orally remarking that the project should not be kept in "cold storage."

The affidavit further notes that the Railway Board has been instructed to hand over the detailed maps and approved alignments to the state government. Kerala has confirmed to the Centre that it will provide its share of the funding through KIIFB, and land acquisition processes have already been initiated.