Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 8 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hit out at the central government after Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw accused the state government of “not cooperating with railway development” and alleged the Centre and Railways Department of “evading responsibilities.”
The Chief Minister said that the allegations on the state are “politically motivated and misleading.” CM Vijayan said that the Angamaly-Sabari railway project was announced in the 1997-98 railway budget and the state provided full support for this project, including approval of the alignment and commencing land acquisition for the 70 km stretch from Angamaly to Ramapuram. Kerala also committed to bearing 50 per cent of the project cost, he said.
“Despite this, the central government and the railway department have shown indifference towards advancing the project. Due to delays from the central government, the project’s estimated cost has increased significantly. Initially estimated at Rs 2,815 crore, the cost has now risen to Rs 3,811 crore, a 36 per cent increase. The central government expects the state to bear this additional burden,” CM Vijayan said.
CM Vijayan asserted that the state is not opposed to any new projects, including the Chengannur-Pamba railway line and added that the central government has not requested any cooperation from the state for the Chengannur-Pamba line.
“Additionally, the recent budget did not allocate any specific projects for Kerala, nor did it fund existing projects like the Thalassery-Nanjangud, Nilambur-Mysore, or Angamaly-Sabari lines,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that the Union Railway Minister’s statement in Parliament that Rs 2,125 crore was allocated for the Angamaly-Sabari line but not utilized by the state is incorrect. The Minister misrepresented that the funds allocated for land acquisition across the state were specifically for the Sabari rail line, he added.
He said that the state has acquired 49.50 hectares for the stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Parassala and is in the process of transferring it to the railways. Of the Rs 2,125 crore allocated by the railways, Rs 1,823 crore has already been deposited for three railway lines, the CM said.
“It is clear who has adopted an obstructionist approach regarding the Sabari rail line. There has been no negligence or indifference on the state’s part. A letter was written to the Union Railway Minister to revive the Sabari rail line and allocate the necessary funds in the budget. This issue was also raised in meetings with the Railway Minister in October 2021 and in a detailed letter in June 2023. Despite multiple communications from the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, and the state’s special representative in Delhi, there has been no positive response from the central government. This has been Kerala’s unfortunate experience with railway-related matters,” he added. (ANI)
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