In-principle approval sufficient; land acquisition for SilverLine project will continue

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail) said that there was no impediment in proceeding with the land acquisition process as the semi-high speed rail (SilverLine) project obtained the 'in-principle' approval of the Railways. As per the Centre's directions, projects that got in-principle approval can move forward with steps such as receiving foreign loans.

K-Rail's explanation comes a day after the Kerala High Court asked whether the in-principle approval was sufficient for land acquisition. The court had also sought documents regarding this. The document regarding the approval will be produced in court.

The Railways and the Union Finance Ministry have issued guidelines for land acquisition for projects approved in principle. However, the condition is that the final tender should not be awarded.

The yellow stones inscribed 'K-Rail' will not be installed as per the High Court order. Instead, the process will continue with the installation of normal boundary stones. K-Rail will seek the assistance of survey officials in this regard as per the court order. Installation of stones will continue in 11 districts.

A notification has been issued to conduct a social impact study in six districts. The social impact study will be completed within 100 days. K-Rail explained that the joint survey leading up to the release of 185 hectares of railway land will begin soon.

Affidavits to be submitted soon
The central government, the state and the Railways have not yet submitted affidavits in the case against the land acquisition for the SilverLine project. The state government will soon submit an affidavit stating that the land acquisition for Silverline will continue. Only the affidavit of K-Rail Company is before the court. The future of the SilverLine will be clear when the Centre and the Railways announce their position.

12 high-speed rail projects coming up
12 high-speed rail projects are coming up in various states. The Delhi-Varanasi and Mumbai-Nagpur high-speed rail projects are likely to be announced in the next Union Budget. Both of them are being envisaged as standard gauge projects. Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore, Bangalore-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Mumbai projects are also under consideration. DPRs of eight projects are being prepared.