Even as the opposition and sections of the public have voiced their protest on the proposed SilverLine Project, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday claimed that his government was unfazed.
Addressing the inauguration of the Kerala Administrative Service here, Vijayan said that his government had faced numerous protests during the previous term, but it managed to overcome all.
"Whenever a reformation has been introduced, there have been some stepping forward with opposition," said Vijayan.
"During the previous term, we faced numerous hurdles in the form of national highway development, GAIL-pipeline project, and the Edamon-Kochi power highway.
"But after we made the protesters understand that the projects were essential for a better future, they realised that protesting was pointless and came forward to support."
He claimed that the benefits of developmental works were not only meant for those in support but "to even those who oppose it".
Vijayan said that a positive approach was "essential for the development of the state".
The chief minister's statement comes at a time, locals at various places in the state have staged protests, some even attempting to self-immolate to prevent the officials from surveying the semi high-speed rail project.
The main opposition, Congress had staged a protest before the office of the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail) in Malappuram.
The BJP has also opposed the project that is expected to set up a 529.45 km corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, the southern and northernmost districts in Kerala respectively.
