10, 20 or 30 metre? No clarity on extent of SilverLine buffer zone

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as debates and protests over the ambitious SilverLine project rage, there is no clarity on the extent of the buffer zone needed on both sides of the proposed railway track extending from one end of Kerala to another for over 500 km.

The officials of the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (K-Rail) are claiming that it will be 10 metre each on both sides of the track. But a close look at the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the SilverLine project reveals there cannot be any construction in the area that comes within 30 m from the middle of the alignment of railway track. So areas within 30 m on both sides of the track will be treated as a buffer zone.

But then why did K-Rail MD V Ajithkumar announce at the district-level awareness meetings on the project that the buffer zone would be only 10 m on both sides of the track?

The last part of the 87-page summary of the DPR indeed states that the government should freeze all development activities in order to stop construction works in a 30 m area from the middle of the track alignment. In other words, no construction will be allowed in the buffer zone existing on both sides of the track at a 30 m distance from the middle of the alignment. Of this buffer zone, a 10 m area will be fenced, i.e., a 20 m buffer zone on both sides of the track will be unfenced. Ajithkumar was referring to this narrow area.

In plain areas, the land will be acquired for the project for a breadth of 20 m. Fencing is required on both sides of this 20 m area.

Significantly, the Kerala Government has not yet taken a policy decision on the width of the buffer zone.

(Alignment of railway line refers to the direction and position given to the centre line of the railway track on the ground in the horizontal and vertical planes.)

Narrow buffer zone on Tirur-Kasargod stretch

The alignment of the proposed SliverLine Project runs parallel to the existing Indian Railway track from Tirur to Kasargod. Here, the K-Rail has proposed a shorter buffer zone — just 10 m each on both sides of the track. Of this area, 5 m on both sides of the track will be designated as a security zone where no construction is allowed.

After the publication of the DPR, the Indian Railways has authorised the K-Rail Limited for acting on the applications received from the public for getting No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for constructing houses in the buffer zone of the current line of the Indian Railways. But K-Rail reportedly decided to ignore the recommendations contained in the DPR and restrict the buffer zone on the Tirur-Kasargod stretch.

K-Rail authorities defended the action stating that the DPR envisages a 30 m buffer zone because it is the pattern followed by the Indian Railways, and in this case, the State Government would any way take a final call on the buffer zone limit.

Kodiyeri, Saji Cheriyan take opposing views

Meanwhile, CPM State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Minister Saji Cheriyan have adopted opposing views on the buffer zone issue. 

The Fisheries Minister who earlier insisted that there will be no buffer zone for the semi-high-speed rail project said on Wednesday that the project will have a 5-metre-wide safety zone instead of a buffer zon.

The Minister said that detractors of the project were highlighting the buffer zone to agitate the public.

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, on the otherhand, said that the minister was wrong.

"The K-rail MD is right in this matter. The project will have a buffer zone," he said.

BUFFER ZONE:

Breadth of the land to be acquired

TYPE OF LAND/K-RAIL WORK | WIDTH | DISTANCE

Plain land | 20 m | 292.72 km

Viaduct | 15 m | 88.41 km

Cutting (high-lying area): 25 m | 101.73 km

Cut & cover | 25-40 m | 24.78 km

(Roof over the track through high-lying area)