Kerala govt firm on SilverLine project, dubs protests politically motivated

Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 25 (ANI): A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government asserted that it will go ahead with the SilverLine project despite protests by the Opposition.
Kerala Education minister V Sivankutty on Friday termed the protests by the Opposition as "politically" motivated.
"The Chief Minister expressed his satisfaction over the discussion with the Prime Minister. There is no need for people to worry. What is happening now are political protests against the project orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. Their position is that any internationally recognized development activity should not take place during the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government," Sivankutty said.
Over the Opposition protest against the railway project, the minister said, "No matter who tries to obstruct development activities, the government will not go back and ensure completion of the works."
He further alleged that the BJP and Congress stand united against all activities of the LDF.
"The BJP, Congress and the anti-development parties are creating problems," the minister claimed.
Various aspects of the SilverLine project were discussed in detail during the meeting of the Chief Minister and PM Modi, he said.
Vijayan had earlier said that Left Democratic Front (LDF) led Kerala government will implement the SilverLine project while assuring that the state would pay four times the prevailing market prices as compensation for acquiring land.
The 529-km SilverLine railway project will link Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in north Kerala, covering 11 districts through 11 stations. The journey between two stations is expected to take four hours, whereas it currently takes 12 hours to reach from one end to another.
The project is also being opposed by Congress-led UDF, which has been alleging that the project is "unscientific and impractical" and will put a huge financial burden on the state. (ANI)