SilverLine protests continue in Kollam, CPM replants uprooted survey stones in Malappuram

The people's protests against the Kerala government's SilverLine semi high speed rail corridor project continued in different parts of the state on Wednesday as officials were set to resume the survey procedures after a three-day break.

Thazhuthala village in Kollam district witnessed tense moments as a group of local people came out to the street challenging the officials' move to plant marker stones in their plots as part of the survey procedures being carried out across the state. Th government has repeatedly claimed that the survey was only part of conducting a socio impact study ahead of the project. The opposition parties, however, allege that the government is trying to acquire the land for the project in the name of the study.

Women were at the forefront of the protest at Thazhuthala where a family threaten to immolate themselves by opening an LPG cylinder if the officials went ahead with the survey procedures.

A group of Congress activists, led by Kundara MLA P C Vishnunadh, staged a sit-in at the area while BJP activists held a separate protest by cooking gruel .

“The government is being dangerously adamant to implement the project despite the people raising their concerns. As people's representatives we have a duty to stand with them,” Vishnunadh said.

The people had sent back the officials when they reached Thazhuthala earlier to plant the marker stones in December. The officials were forced to return then after a family threatened to immolate themselves by pouring kerosene over their body. The survey procedures resumed on Wednesday after a three-day break on account of Sunday and the two-day general strike.

CPM on firefighting mode

The ruling CPM has strengthened its campaign to sensitise the people about the need to implement the SilverLine project and the lucrative compensation packages announced by the government for those who will have to surrender their land.

Participating in such a programme, CPM Kozhikode district secretary Mohanan Master termed the protests against the project politically motivated.

At Tanur in Malappuram, local CPM activists reinstated the survey poles uprooted by opposition UDF recently.

Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the UDF activists will uproot the marker stones again even if ministers replant them.

Culture Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, along with CPM activists, had recently replanted a stone which protesting UDF activists had uprooted from the premises of a poor old woman.