Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday unveiled a ₹13,265-crore compensation package that promises up to four times the market value of land that would be acquired for the SilverLine semi-high speed railway project.
Considerably higher than the prevailing land acquisition rates, the compensations were announced at the first of the government’s Statewide outreach programmes held here to drum up support for the ambitious project that is estimated to cost ₹63,941 crore.
Land aqcuisition
Mr. Vijayan said the compensations will be four times the market rate of land in rural areas and twice the market rate of land acquired in urban areas.
A one-time incentive of ₹4.6 lakh or ₹1.6 lakh along with a house built under norms of the LIFE Mission would also be provided additionally for those who stood to lose their homes.
In the case of impoverished families who would be rendered homeless, the package will include 5 cents of land and a house under the LIFE Mission or 5 cents of land and a grant of ₹4 lakh or a total grant of ₹10 lakh. These will be in addition to the land acquisition compensation fixed specifically for the project.
Over 9,300 buildings would be taken over and demolished for the project undertaken by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (K-Rail). The package included ₹4,460 crore earmarked for compensating houses that are acquired and ₹1,730 crore for rehabilitation.
Eco benefits
Pitching the project as one that would usher in long-term environmental benefits, Mr. Vijayan reiterated that the rail corridor would not pass through ecologically fragile areas and wildlife sanctuaries.
The natural course of rivers and waterbodies too would remain unaffected. Moreover, there will be no impact on paddy fields and wetlands considering 88km of the corridor will be established on viaducts.
The SilverLine is also expected to bring down carbon emissions by 2.88 lakh tonnes by 2025 and 5.95 lakh tonnes by 2052. The usage of fossil fuels will also come down with the Ro-Ro service that will be offered in the trains.
Allays fears
Mr. Vijayan also rebuffed criticisms that the 292.72-km-long embankment of the proposed rail corridor project would divide the State into two parts. In addition to overbridges and underpasses every 500 metres, a quarter of the corridor’s entire length will pass on viaducts and through tunnels.
Referring to opinions that the existing railway infrastructure should be ideally upgraded instead of pursuing the SilverLine project, Mr. Vijayan said train speeds have remained unchanged despite the doubling of railway lines.
Pointing out there were 626 curves along the existing railway corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode, he claimed they could not be straightened due to the hurdles associated with land acquisition along densely-populated areas.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan, Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil, Transport Minister Antony Raju and General Education Minister V. Sivankutty were among those who were present.
The programme was attended by industrialists, religious leaders, present and former bureaucrats, traders’ representatives, doctors and cultural activists.