Pathanamthitta: Anxiety has gripped people in areas falling under the SilverLine project's path after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared in the Legislative Assembly that the project has not been dropped.
People are worried about the uncertainty over whether the project would be implemented or not. They also do not give credence to the statement of the chief minister that there were no impediments to land transactions and pledging of lands for obtaining loans.
The campaign that the project had been shelved after the officials connected with it were recalled until the Centre’s approval was received, had led to a lot of confusion among the people.
Meanwhile, the K-Rail Virudha Janakeeya Samiti (people’s forum against K-Rail) is planning to resume its agitation.
People residing in the proposed path of the project say they won't allow the implementation of SilverLine even if the project gets the Centre's approval.
The people in Chengannur believe that the assurance by the chief minister that obtaining loans and carrying out land transactions would not be affected was hollow.
It was in Chengannur that an intense agitation against SilverLine took place even before the protests in Madappally. It was against the protesters in the area that the then minister Saji Cheriyan had hurled the accusation that they had links with extremists and that they were receiving training for armed attacks. Saji Cheriyan had come personally to the area and re-laid the survey stone that had been uprooted and thrown away.
Local people say they have not gone back on their determination over the protest. They alleged that the chief minister’s statement that laying the survey stones would not affect anyone was a lie and that even the fate of future generations would be doomed.
The people of Kozhuvallur reiterate the slogan “No to K-Rail, Yes to Kerala” would echo once again. Roselyn, the leader of the protest at Madappally, said they won't backtrack from the protest till the project is dropped.
“The false cases against activists should be withdrawn. They would not go back on their protest even if Central forces were to be deployed,” she said.
The protesters in Chala, Kannur, demanded that the government refrain from implementing anti-people projects.
