Thiruvananthapuram: A section of the CPI leaders mounted severe criticism on the proposed SilverLine Project and its current implementation methods at the meeting of the CPI State executive committee held here on Wednesday.
Many executive committee members were of the view that the LDF Government should not provoke the public and make them enemies by implementing the SilverLine project in such a dictatorial manner. But CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran told the meeting that the CPI would continue to support the project, while putting a rider that the State Government should find a solution to the emerging issues related to the project.
Initiating the discussion, CPI Kollam district secretary Mullakara Ratnakaran presented a report on the deliberations of the party's district council meeting which witnessed severe criticism against the project.
Coming down heavily on the project, Ratnakaran said that unnecessary tensions were created in many places in Kollam district due to dictatorial actions of the authorities like laying boundary stones without the consent of the land owners . He said that the party unit in Kollam was against such arbitrary actions. He said this was the case in many other districts. Because of this scenario, the CPI leaders should not come in support of the project, he added.
He urged the party to make an in-depth study of the project. "An expert panel should be formed to study the issue. The party should take a final call on supporting the SliverLine project only after discussing the report of the expert committee."
Mullakara pointed out that it was difficult to approve governmental actions like erecting boundary stones for the project inside houses.
The State Government should go ahead with the project only after taking the whole public into confidence. Overlooking these facts, the government should not take unilateral actions and invite the wrath of those sections which supported the LDF through thick and thin in the past.
Some CPI executive committee members, who hail from other districts, also favoured the stand taken by Ratnakaran. They pointed out at the meeting many environmental issues and other serious concerns raised by the public against the project.
Kanam Rajendran, while replying to the discussions at the meeting, said that the CPI's decision was to support the SilverLine project since it is important to the future development of the State.
'NO NEED TO OPPOSE PROJECT NOW'
According to him, the project is not going to be implemented at a single stretch. "The project is now in paper form. Many permissions are required for the project. Issues which will come up in each stage will have to be resolved one by one.
"The project will be a reality only if the permission is granted on the basis of the environment impact study. The project needs to get support from the Railways and the Central Government. So, there is no point in opposing the project at this stage. If the party takes a stand against the project now, it will be like giving political ammunition to the UDF," Kanam said.
'K-RAIL CAN'T BE STOPPED BY REMOVING MARKERS'
CPM State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that none could stop the K-Rail Project by removing the boundary stones erected on the proposed site.
He urged the UDF to desist from such illicit moves. He ridiculed the Congress by saying that the party did not have the strength to wage such a battle.
What Congress can do maximum is to merely boast of its strength, he added.
