‘Delay in land acquisition, environmental issues hit progress of Sabari line project’

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

The Union Minister of State for Railways, K.H. Muniyappa, has said that the work on the seven-kilometre Angamali-Kalady stretch of the Sabari Rail project was fast progressing so as to complete it in 2011-’12 itself, said Prof P.J. Kurien, Congress(I) chief whip in Rajya Sabha.

Talking to The Hindu, Prof Kurien said the Union Minister has made this statement in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

According to Mr Muniyappa, the proposed Angamali-Sabarimala rail line project could not make much progress due to resistance from the local people against land acquisition and environmental issues and cases filed them in the Court.

He said the environmental issues raised by the local people were examined by the Railway Ministry in consultation with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. It is observed that construction of railway line do not come with in the purview of Environment Impact Assessment Notification (EIA), 2006, and hence no environmental clearance was required for the Sabari Rail line project.

The Union Minister said work on the Sabari rail line project was in progress as per the availability of resources and releasing funds for compensation towards land acquisition and built-up structures was also being expedited.

He said earth work and minor bridge works in the first 5 km between Angamali and the Periyar Bridge was under way.

Though the land acquisition for the new rail line project in Ernakulam district was in progress, the land acquisition in Kottayam was held up as the alignment has not yet been finalized in consultation with the State Government, he added.

Prof Kurien said the Union Minister was of the view that the State Government should facilitate the land required for the proposed rail line with out any further delay.

Prof Kurien said the Sabari Rail project, once completed, would bring about fast infra-structure development in the remote hilly tracts of Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts.

He has called upon the Railways to allot adequate fund for the execution of the project in a time-bound manner. According to him, the budget allocation for the project for the current financial year is a mere Rs 85 against the actual requirement of Rs 379 crore.

Four tremors

As per the records available with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), four earthquakes of slight intensity were located in Idukki district by the National Seismological Network of IMD since January 1, 2011, Prof Kurien said.

Prof Kurien said an Empowered Committee on Mullapperiyar dam has already been constituted on the directions of the Supreme Court of India to look into various issues raised by the State of Kerala, including safety of the dam, with the help of various expert agencies.