SilverLine or alternative? Kerala's wait for semi-high-speed rail to continue
Kochi: It seems the state's dream of having a semi-high-speed rail line is unlikely to become a reality soon, with neither Centre nor the state govt taking any concrete steps to take any of the two proposals forward.
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The discussion chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held with Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier this week did not cover either the SilverLine proposal or the alternative semi-high-speed rail project proposed by Metroman E Sreedharan. As railways is yet to take a favourable stand on Sreedharan's proposal even after four months, the state govt's special representative in Delhi, K V Thomas, has requested Sreedharan to meet both Vaishnaw and railway officials.
However, Sreedharan's stand is that he cannot approach Centre unless the state govt officially entrusts him to do so, demanding that the project proposal be taken up for further action.
It seems the state govt is not planning to hold any further discussions with Sreedharan regarding the alternative proposal. The state govt submitted a draft of the semi-high-speed rail line proposal, prepared by Sreedharan, to the Union govt on Feb 10.
The alternative proposal was submitted after the railway ministry informed that it could not approve the SilverLine project proposed by K-Rail.
"It's been four months since the state govt submitted Sreedharan's proposal to Centre. But during the meeting, the proposal wasn't even mentioned or taken up for discussion. The only way to revive the project now is through pressure from Sreedharan himself. I've requested him to meet Vaishnav or railway officials directly to explain the project's benefits," said Thomas, who was present alongside Vijayan during the meeting with the railway minister.
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But Sreedharan says he cannot take any further initiative regarding his proposal unless the state govt asks him to do so. He also expressed unhappiness over Vijayan's recent statement expressing hope over SilverLine. "The chief minister's recent statement that SilverLine will become a reality indicates that the govt is still focused on that project. State govt representatives have not held any discussions with me before or after their recent meeting with the railway minister.
I cannot approach Centre directly regarding my proposal unless the state govt officially requests me to take the initiative. If they do, I am ready to hold discussions with Centre," Sreedharan told TOI.
Minister V Abdurahman, who is in charge of railways, said the govt was not opposed to considering Sreedharan's proposal. He, however, did not give a clear answer when asked whether the state would request Sreedharan to hold further discussions with Centre. "Kerala is open to implementing either the SilverLine or Sreedharan's alternative project. SilverLine is not a closed chapter," he said.
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