Social and environmental activist Medha Patkar has said that the State government’s SilverLine rail project is similar to the bullet train project in Maharashtra, against which a massive protest is going on that has the support of the Left parties.
“Protests against such high-speed rail projects are going on in Malaysia and Indonesia as well. I cannot understand how the Left parties can oppose the same project in one State while promoting it in another,” said Ms. Patkar, while inaugurating the 466th day of public protest against the semi high-speed SilverLine rail project at Kattilapeedika in Kozhikode on Monday.
She said she expected the Left government in Kerala to engage in dialogue with the affected people at the earliest, rather than following in the footsteps of the Prime Minister who refused to talk to farmers during their protest. “While he is in Kozhikode for his party conference, I want to see if the Chief Minister will visit one of the houses where the survey stones have been laid and enquire if it was done following the rules. This will decide if he is just like the PM or not,” she said.
Ms. Patkar urged the protestors in Kattilapeedika not to give up their struggle just because the SilverLine project did not have a detailed project report (DPR), an environment impact assessment or a social impact assessment report and because the Centre had not approved it. “The project cannot be implemented unless each and every grama sabha through which it passes approves of it, based on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement [RFCTLARR] Act, 2013, which the Left parties helped make while they supported the UPA [United Progressive Alliance] government”, she added.
Ms. Patkar said the estimated cost might exceed the limits set and put the whole State in a huge debt, which the government would be forced to pay off by allowing multinational corporations to have a free reign. She said the proposed embankments on which the rail were to be built would obstruct the flow of water, driving Kerala to further environmental damage in the form of floods.
K-Rail Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi chairman T.T. Ismail, in his presidential address, said the forum would take the necessary steps to open the eyes of the government.
Ms. Patkar was accompanied by Devram Kanhera, a farmers’ leader from Madhya Pradesh. Patrons of the anti-K-Rail movement C.R. Neelakantan, Kusumam Joseph, and M.P. Baburaj were present.
