SilverLine project: Social impact study to commence in Kannur, notification issued

(L) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (R) The route through which the SIlverLine passes through. Photo; Manorama

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has issued a notification to conduct the social impact assessment ahead of acquiring land for its proposed SilverLine semi high-speed rail corridor project.

 

The notification has been issued to conduct the study in Kannur, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's home district. The Kerala Voluntary Health Services has been entrusted with the task. The study has to be completed within 100 days.

The assessment will cover 19 villages in Kannur, Payyannur and Thalassery taluks. The state government has identified 106.2005 hectares of land for the project in Kannur district alone. The district will have a 61.7 km stretch out of the 530 km rail line linking Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the northernmost part of Kerala.

 

Scope of the study

 

The scope of the social impact study includes the number of families to be rehabilitated, the size of the land covering the project as well as the number of houses, colonies and other public places in the area. The study will also look into if the land to be acquired is totally required for the project. The cost to compensate for the potential social impact will also be part of the study.

The notification has been issued amid growing opposition to the project spearheaded by the Congress-led United Democratic Front and several organisations.

 

SilverLine is billed as the biggest infrastructure project in the state's history. It is expected to reduce the travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod to around four hours.

 

The mammoth project is estimated to cost over Rs 63,000 crore. In October, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the state assembly that approval for the SilverLine project was in the final stages.

 

The opposition UDF has repeatedly demanded that the Left Democratic Front government clear doubts regarding the project's economic viability as well as environmental and social impact.

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Onmanorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.