Newly-elected Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday announced that the state cabinet has decided to scrap the controversial Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod SilverLine rail corridor project, which was launched by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government as an ambitious infrastructure initiative.
Addressing the media after a cabinet meeting, Satheesan said the government has directed the Revenue Department to remove all the survey stones installed for land demarcation, and added that all land acquisition proceedings initiated for the project stand cancelled.
Mooted in 2019 by the Pinarayi Vijayan government, the 530-km semi-high-speed railway corridor was proposed to connect the state’s southern capital, Thiruvananthapuram, with its northernmost district, Kasaragod. The project faced significant public resistance and political pushback, particularly over concerns related to land acquisition and displacement.
He also informed that the government has decided to file affidavits before courts to withdraw cases related to protests against the project across the state, after reviewing the nature of the cases. Congress was at the forefront of the protest against the semi-high speed rail project.
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