Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government's determination to go ahead with the ambitious semi high-speed rail corridor project is evident in the police crackdown on protesters and landowners who hinder the demarcation activities.
Cases have been registered against 88 people in the last several days in four districts alone, with the most number of cases filed in Kozhikode, even as the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail), which is behind the SilverLine Project, completed fixing boundary stones in 21 villages within a month.
At some places, local residents, mostly under the banner of SilverLine Virudha Janakeeya Samithi removed the boundary stones that were laid. Authorities responded by registering cases by invoking various sections. However, the activists have made it clear that they would go ahead with the protests despite the police registering cases against them.
In Kozhikode, cases were registered against 47 people, who organised protests at the Municipal Corporation Office, Kattil Peedika and Vadakara areas, under the Epidemic Diseases Act, besides slapping them with penalties.
At Moodadi panchayat, cases were registered against four people. As many as 10 people were booked under sections which could invite an imprisonment of up to six months in Kannur.
In Alappuzha district's Padanilam, 20 people have been booked, while 11 people were taken into preventive custody in Kollam.
In places that were witnessing protests, officials fixed the boundary stones under heavy police protection. At some places, residents tried to lock officials out of their properties. Instances of officials scaling the compound walls were also reported from such places.
Boundaries earmarked in 21 villages
Authorities have completed fixing the boundary stones at 21 villages in seven districts. In Kannur, stones were laid at nine villages, covering a distance of 26.8 kilometres. While the fixing of stones was completed in three villages each in Thrissur and Kasaragod, the boundaries were demarcated in two villages each in Kollam and Ernakulam. In Thiruvananthapuram, the stones were fixed in Attipra panchayat.
The fixing of boundary stones was progressing rapidly in Kannur, the CPM's stronghold.
Authorities, however, could not complete the process in any of the villages in Kozhikode, the district that has been witnessing massive protests.
The boundary stones of the proposed rail corridor are being laid out ahead of a Social Impact Assessment of the project.
The 529.45 km semi high-speed rail corridor connecting Kasaragod with Thiruvananthapuram has been envisaged to cut the travel time between the two ends of the state to less than four hours from the present 12.
