Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday shot a barrage of questions at the state government regarding the controversial SilverLine project to build a semi-high speed rail corridor.
The court asked the government what was the purpose of conducting a social impact assessment when there was no approval from the Centre for the detailed project report (DPR).
"Why was so much money spent without approval? What is the current status of the project? Who is answerable for all the problems that have erupted so far? Why did these issues pop up?" the court lobbed a series of questions.
Earlier today, the Railway Board submitted to the High Court that Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail) was yet to provide technical documents and other details of the SilverLine project despite seeking the same multiple times.
The statement was in response to a court directive on a petition by Kottayam native Murali Krishnan and others questioning the survey procedures.
Grilling the government's lawyer, the court further asked: "Why is there no proper communication channel between K-Rail and the Railways? Were all the notifications issued for a non-existent project? Is just naming a project enough to prove a plan's validity?"
The Railway Board said it had sought the details to determine how much railway land would be affected by the semi-high-speed rail project, besides arriving at a conclusion about its feasibility. The Board informed the court that despite sending five letters seeking the project details from July 11, 2021, to August 30, 2022, there was no response from K-Rail.
The court accused the state government of playing a drama in the name of the project.
It also criticised the government's frenzied survey stone installation saga, which saw statewide protests. "Every morning, the people of the state would wake up to strangers planting yellow stones on the compound of their house, no explanations given," the court stated sarcastically.
The SilverLine project is right back where it started, the court further said.
Will not withdraw cases against protesters: Govt
The state government informed the High Court that it won't withdraw the cases against SilverLine protesters.
Meanwhile, the High Court disposed of the SilverLine petitions in the context of the expiry of the notification for the social impact assessment, and the fact that the Central government's approval for the DPR is yet to be obtained.
However, Justice Devan Ramachandran stated the petitioners had the freedom to approach the court should the state government or K-Rail attempt to plant survey stones or conduct a social impact assessment.
