Kochi: The Kerala High Court has questioned the sanctity of holding a survey as part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the SilverLine Project.
Justice Devan Ramachandran said that a mere questionnaire would have been enough for the conduct of the SIA.
He asked why we should waste money in the name of survey for the SIA since another survey has to be conducted as per the land acquisition proceedings.
The Single Bench of the High Court was hearing petitions filed by a group of land holders, alleging that boundary stones inscribing K-Rail on it were erected unauthorisedly on their land.
(Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail) is the agency set to implement the 529.45-km railway line will linking Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the north.)
However, the K-Rail Limited took a stand that the survey was undertaken as per the land acquisition law to facilitate the smooth conduct of the social impact study.
But the court took a stand that prima facie it seemed that the move was aimed at helping the land acquisition proceedings.
The Railways has made it clear that the alignment has to be changed. If that is the case, the money spent for the present survey will be an utter waste. The central government has given only permission for pre-investment proceedings. The Social Impact Assessment will not come under that head, the court pointed out.
The court asked the state government and others to give a clarity on the matter.
The case will come up for next hearing on February 18.
The court extended up to February 18 the temporary order staying survey proceedings on the property of the petitioners.
(Social Impact Assessment or SIA is a methodology to ascertain the social effects of infrastructure projects and other development interventions.)