NEW DELHI:Pointing out the economic, social and environmental impacts of the proposed K-Rail Silver Line Corridor, the ambitious Rs 63, 941 crore project of the ruling CPI-M in Kerala, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state convener and environmental activist C.R. Neelakandan on Sunday said the project is a non-starter in the southern state.
Levelling data fudging charges, Neelakandan, who was the face of the Kerala AAP before he parted ways with the party in 2019, told IANS that many including the Leftists are questioning the project -- whether it is feasible at this cost.
He also said that it was learnt that the general consultant of the project, Paris-based Systra, has already started an internal inquiry into the data fudging allegations.
"I don't think that the Central government will not allow this project, " he said.
Talking about the land acquisition which made a genie out of the bottle, he said, people will fight tooth and nail against the project.
Asked about the stand of the state government and the uncompromising attitude of the Chief Minister, he said politicians will have different reasons. "I'm not telling you that there will be corruption or not, " he said.
Underlining with the situation in Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal, where the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) stand had to pay dearly during similar land acquisition for multi-crore projects, he said there is a difference of thought process of the Left party in Kerala as they think that the people from Kerala won't oppose en masse.
"There is a general thinking that the section of a people who are not affected by the project won't protest and even they welcome if the project is convenient for them."
Comparing K-Rail with the Rs 7, 700-crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, which is set to develop Thiruvananthapuram into a port city in Kerala, he said the unfinished project is very small compared to Silver Line.
However, it did not finish due to the non-availability of materials like stone and mud. "In such a circumstance, how a project which costs more than a lakh crore, according to the Centre, be feasible, " he wondered.
The Vizhinjam project is less than 2 km while the K-Rail is more than 520 km, he added.
Highlighting the recent severe flood situation in the state, the environmentalist said that there would be 2.4-meter-high fencing on both sides of the rail as per the DPR -- Detailed Project Report, which will be disastrous during flooding.
"The environmental impact cannot be ignored as the project area does not cover the main forests. It is about the 165 hydrologically sensitive areas that the rail project passes through, " he added.
Talking about the reduction of carbon emissions, he said, "the main argument itself is a joke as they say 2.8-tonne emissions and 14, 000 cars can be reduced while how many lakhs of diesel trucks will be needed to run for the project".
"The carbon omission produced by these trucks themselves cannot be compensated for the next 100 years, " he said.
Instead of that, the government can execute a project that transforms the local bodies' vehicles into electric, it can save this much omission in a year, he suggested.