Kozhikode: Kerala has been witnessing a spirited protest against the SilverLine semi high-speed rail project with protestors uprooting survey stones as soon as they are planted on identified plots across the state.
The Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (K-Rail) has spent Rs 81.60 lakh till February for laying these boundary stones. This includes the expenses of the officials and the cost of transporting and installing stones at each location.
With the figures after February, the expenses are set to cross over a crore rupees.
The details of the expenses emerge even as survey stones are being uprooted and thrown away as protests continue over the SilverLine project.
Other costs
A total of Rs 3.23 crore was spent on various surveys so far. The total expenses for the LiDAR aerial surveys to determine the alignment was Rs 2.08 crore. Topographical survey cost Rs 8.27 lak and traffic and transportation related charges amounted to Rs 23.75 lakh.
Though as much as Rs 22 crore was spent on preparing the Detailed Project Report, the Union Railway Ministry had said that this DPR was incomplete.
A total of Rs 59.74 lakh was spent for propaganda: to improve the image of the K-Rail and for SilverLine campaigns. This would also include social media campaigns.
Also, Rs 6.11 lakh was spent on lawyers who appeared in the High Court to defend the 12 cases against the SilverLine in the High Court.
The above expenses under various heads were revealed by the K-Rail in a reply to Kochi-based Right to Information (RTI) activist K Govindan Nampoothiry.
