Amid the heated debate over the advisability of the SilverLine semi high-speed rail corridor project, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to address an outreach event here on Tuesday (January 4) on the proposed 529.45-km, ₹63,941 crore initiative.
Representatives of political parties and organisations and technical experts will attend the event scheduled to be held at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, Vellayambalam, at 11 a.m.
The project will reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod to four hours, one-fourth of the present duration.
Massive changes
It would also usher in massive changes across various sectors including industry, technology and tourism, a statement issued by the government on Sunday said.
The semi high-speed rail project, to be implemented by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail), will have 11 stations including one at the Cochin International Airport.
The Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram travel time would be slashed to one-and-a-half hours, the government said.
A total of 1,383 hectares of land will be needed for the project, which included the land needed for rehabilitation.
Of this, 1,198 hectares are privately owned.
The alignment of the corridor is so designed to have minimal impact on places of worship, farm lands, and sacred groves across 11 districts. According to the government, the project will affect 9,314 buildings including houses.
The government has earmarked ₹ 13,362.32 crore for land acquisition. The project will be implemented with low-interest funding from international financial institutions.
Repayments
The DPR had been prepared so that the repayments could be met from the revenue from the project, the government said.
The government plans to implement the project over five years on a fast-track mode.
