Ponnani: BJP leader and acclaimed engineer E Sreedharan recommended changes to the proposed SilverLine semi-high speed rail project of K Rail in a meeting with Kerala Government's special representative in Delhi, Prof KV Thomas, on Sunday here.
Sreedharan would provide his thoughts on the Detailed Project Report of the rail corridor in a special note, said Thomas after the meeting. K Rail’s special officer Vijayakumar also accompanied Thomas to meet Sreedharan.
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Sreedharan in the past had opposed the project on technical and financial grounds. He even met the prime minister and railway minister along with BJP leaders from the state to appraise them against the SilverLine project.
However, ahead of the meeting, Sreedharan said that he had only said that the project cannot be implemented in its present proposed format. If the necessary changes are implemented, the project can be beneficial for the state, he said.
It may be noted that Sreedharan wanted a fully elevated high speed rail. However, SilverLine is a semi-high speed track predominantly non-elevated. The state opposed a fully elevated line as the cost would further go up. Financial constraint was one of Sreedharan's reasons for opposition to the project.
When asked about Sreedharan's opposition, Thomas said, “With the advent of Vande Bharat, E Sreedharan demanded trains with more speed. His earlier stance against SilverLine is irrelevant. SilverLine is not a shelved project. Problems in the implementation of the project must be resolved and this is what will be discussed with Sreedharan.”
The Chief Minister will review the outline and make a decision regarding the utilisation of Sreedharan's services, said Thomas, after the discussion.
Earlier, Pinarayi and CPM leaders reiterated that SilverLine is not a closed chapter and the union government will have to approve high speed rail for Kerala in the near future. The Detailed Project Report for the project is now pending with the union rail ministry. Railway minister also confirmed that discussions are ongoing and the project is not rejected.
Published: 09 Jul 2023, 05:11 pm IST
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