6 days ago
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The Kerala Cabinet connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026) decided to scrap the K-Rail (SilverLine) semi-high-speed railway project from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.
Addressing a property league aft the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said each the onshore acquired for the task would beryllium de-notified and the yellow-hued factual markers that demarcated the prospective enactment would beryllium removed.
The Chief Minister, however, did not regularisation retired the possibilities of the United Democratic Front (UDF) authorities coming up with its ain semi high-speed obstruction project. He said that the authorities was “not against a obstruction task which volition not impact the State environmentally oregon financially.”
Cases to beryllium withdrawn
“We are not against high-speed obstruction projects. We opposed K-Rail due to the fact that it was an biology catastrophe and not economically viable. The K-Rail task did not person a due Detailed Project Report (DPR). The LDF authorities had fixed up connected the task and alternate projects were being discussed. Unfortunately, onshore acquired for the task was not de-notified, owed to which radical were suffering arsenic they were incapable to merchantability oregon pledge their ain property. All the cases connected with the agitation volition beryllium withdrawn,” helium said.
The Anti-K-Rail SilverLine People’s Struggle Committee had connected Tuesday called connected Mr. Satheesan to contented an order withdrawing the SilverLine project. Mr. Satheesan had said up of the Assembly elections that the UDF would de-notify the onshore acquired for SilverLine if voted to power.
The State had witnessed beardown protests led by the UDF against the task since 2022. Revenue surveyors faced stiff absorption from Congress workers successful galore places. The enactment workers had utilized the uprooting of the yellowish markers arsenic a symbolic signifier of protestation against the project. The land-use conflict implicit the SilverLine alignment demarcation reflected resoundingly successful the Assembly besides with the UDF staging walkouts implicit the constabulary enactment against long-time section residents, who, fearful of displacement, resisted the laying of markers for the semi-high-speed railway project.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has besides been against the project, with State leaders saying the task lacked Central support and, hence, lacked credibility. The LDF authorities had made respective unsuccessful attempts to get support from the Union government.
