K-Rail officials retreat from Kallayi, Chottanikara after protests hinder land demarcation

K-Rail protests
Protests against the K-rail survey intensified in Thirunavaya of Malappuram district.

Thiruvananthapuram: Widespread protests were witnessed in Kerala on Monday as the state government intensified its efforts for laying boundary stones for the proposed north-south SilverLine rail corridor.

At Kallayi in Kozhikode district of Kerala, the residents and protesters organised stiff resistance against the laying of survey stones in the region. Even though police officers and K-rail officials were seen negotiating with the protesters, no progress could be made. Heavy police force were deployed in the area. The officials tried twice to proceed with demarcating the land at 9:30am and again at 12:30pm. However, the officials returned by 3:45pm without being able to complete the process.

The survey activities were also postponed to a later date at Thirunavaya in Malappuram and Chottanikara in Ernakulam district following massive protests against the K-Rail project.

"More than 200 families are set to lose their home in Thirunavaya. This is unacceptable for us," the protestors said.

The government has dispatched a large posse of police to control the protests at various places and thereby facilitate the fixing of boundary stones.

Meanwhile, authorities will restart the process of laying these stones in Chottanikara after they were uprooted by protesters. Almost 10 stones laid in the Adiyakkal Padam panchayat were removed on Sunday.

UDF activists protest against K-rail survey in Sankranti Kuzhiyalippa, Kottayam. Photo: Manorama

Further south, UDF activists prevented officials from undertaking the survey at Kuzhiyalippadi area at Sankranti on the outskirts of Kottayam town.

Congress leader and Kottayam legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan led the protest here.

In Kollam district, KSU activists laid a boundary stone in front of the Kollam East police station on Sunday as a token of protest.

Politically motivated protests: Kodiyeri Balakrishanan
"These are politically motivated protests," CPM State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Monday.

"The protests are not organised by people who are losing their land in most places. The protest at Madappally is a conspiracy. A Union minister and community leader participated," he said referring to the visit of V Muraleedharan and a local leader of the Nair Service Society (NSS).

Kodiyeri charged that the protests were being instigated from Changanaserry, in an apparent reference to the location of the NSS headquarters in that town in Kottayam district.

The protestors should know that "this is not the era of Liberation Struggle. Removing boundary stones will not stop the survey," he added.

Protestors remove survey stones placed at Adiyakal paddy fields in Ernakulam district's Chottanikara. Photo: Manorama/Josekutty J Panackal

NSS refutes charge
The NSS refuted Kodiyeri's charge and clarified that a local leader, whose land would be acquired, had visited the protest site in his personal capacity and the organisation has not taken a pro or anti-SilverLine stand.

150 booked in Madappally
Meanwhile, the police registered case against 150 people who protested against the SilverLine at Mundukuzhi area of Madappally Panchayat, near Changanassery, last week.

The police said that the case was registered after a lady cop's eyesight was affected during the protest on Thursday. PS Divyamol, 30, experienced dimness of vision after kerosene fell on her eyes during the protest.

Will go to jail: VD Satheesan
VD Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the the Kerala Legislative Assembly, vowed that the poor and downtrodden in Kerala will not go to jail for protesting.

"The people led the protests from the frontline till now. We motivated them to fight for their rights. But if the chief minister decides to imprison the poor for protesting, we will lead them from the forefront. We shall uproot the stones and go to jail," the Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police Chief DGP Anil Kant has asked the police force to exercise caution while dealing with the protestors.

Legal action against protestors
The state government is planning to take legal action against those who remove boundary stones. Those who remove boundary stones laid by the authorities in the demarcated area will be booked for destruction of public property.

The protesters will be arrested after registering cases against them. The arrested would get bail only after depositing the amount equivalent to the value of the public property.

The Revenue Department is laying the boundary markers with the support of the police. Across the state people who are bound to lose property are opposing the fixing of boundary stones in their plot. Angry residents are removing the stones as soon as they are planted by the labourers engaged by the revenue officials.

Only if the boundary stones are laid, the authorities can measure exactly the area needed for the project and identify the number of people to be affected by the project. The social impact study is getting delayed because of the ongoing protests.

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