Thiruvananthapuram: The Railway Board has made it clear that K-Rail authorities have not yet submitted full details about the railway land in Kerala through which the proposed SilverLine semi speed rail passes.
This happened even after the Board sent reminders four times. The response was given by the Railway Board in an RTI query made by the SilverLine Virudha Samithi.
So, it has now come to light that K-Rail Limited failed to submit the crucial data about the railway land in Kerala even two years after the submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The DPR was submitted on June 24, 2020.
The board also said in the RTI reply that it did not have any details to show whether K-Rail Limited convinced NITI Aayog about the real cost of the project. Remember, the NITI Aayog had expressed the doubt that the project cost would go up to Rs.1.26 lakh crore.
With regard to the technical clarifications sought by the Board, K-Rail Limited gave its first reply on July 26. In the reply letter, there was only a general mention that railway land of an average 7.5 meter width would be needed for the project.
Dissatisfied with the reply, the board asked for more clarifications. K-Rail then sent a letter dated September 22 by attaching the sketch of the railway land and the details regarding the geographical position of railway stations in Kerala.
K-Rail silent on utilisation of land
But the Railway Board pointed out that the main question on the utilisation of the railway land was unanswered in the letter.
The Board then asked K-Rail to submit via Southern Railway a plan containing full details of the boundary of the railway land to be acquired.
K-Rail had admitted that the board sought technical details at the meeting held in December. But after this September, no report was given to the Board by K-Rail.
In the RTI reply, the Board also said that it didn't have any document to show how the design of the project, which was fully conceived as a sky line route, got changed later.
The total length of the skyline is now reduced to a total of 88 km.
The RTI reply said that the Railway Ministry had given Rs.49 crore to K-Rail Limited as its preliminary share component in the joint venture. No money has been given to the SilverLine project since it has not been cleared by the Railway Ministry.
Moreover, no permission was given to conduct surveys or lay boundary stones on the railway land for the project.