India News | Concrete Structures Cannot Be Installed as Part of SilverLine Project Without Land Acquisition: Kerala HC

Kochi, Dec 23 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Thursday said to the state government that any survey being carried out in relation to the SilverLine project has to adhere to the Survey and Boundaries Act and concrete structures cannot be installed prior to carrying out the land acquisition.

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The high court also issued notice to the Centre, state government, Railway Board and the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (K-Rail) seeking their stand on a plea claiming concrete structures were being put up as part of the survey of land for the project, a lawyer associated with the matter said.

The Kerala government's ambitious SilverLine project, which is expected to reduce travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to around four hours, has been facing opposition from various quarters including the Congress, which has been alleging that it was "unscientific and impractical" and will put a huge financial burden on the state.

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Advocate O V Maniprasad, who appeared for the petitioner -- Muralikrishnan, told the court that big concrete structures were being put up in violation of the Survey and Boundaries Act and it amounted to taking possession of the land for the project.

He told the court that no approval has been received for carrying out land acquisition for the project.

The court, thereafter, ordered that any survey being carried out has to be as per the Act and the rules framed thereunder and such concrete structures cannot be put up, he said.

The detailed order is not yet available, he added.

There is already one plea in the high court alleging that the state was carrying out land acquisition proceedings for the semi-high speed rail corridor -- SilverLine -- without the sanction of the Centre or other appropriate authorities.

The earlier plea has sought contempt action against the state and K-Rail for violating the assurance given to the court in January that they will proceed with the project only after getting the concurrence from the Centre, Railway Board and other statutory authorities.

The 532 kilometre stretch of the SilverLine from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod would be developed by K-Rail -- a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Railway Ministry for developing railway infrastructure in the southern state.

Starting from the state capital, SilverLine trains will have stoppages at Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode and Kannur before reaching Kasaragod.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)