The Finance department has forwarded the file seeking the approval of the government to shoulder 50% of the revised estimate of the Sabari rail project to the Chief Minister. Before forwarding the consent letter of Kerala to the Railway Board, the approval of the Chief Minister and the Cabinet is required.
The finance wing of the Southern Railway has approved the revised estimate of ₹3,801 crore for the project prepared by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited.
On December 21, the Chief Engineer, Construction, informed the government in a letter that the revised estimate should be submitted to the Railway Board along with a letter from the government approving it and a consent letter expressing its willingness to share the cost of the project.
It also stated that the rate of return (ROR) for the project has been worked out based on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between Railways and Kerala. In the event of any reneging from the cost-sharing as agreed upon by the Kerala government earlier, the project cannot be sanctioned by the Railway Board.
The project envisages constructing a 111-km line from Angamaly to Erumely, near Sabarimala, sanctioned in the Railway Budget for 1997-98 at a cost of ₹550 crore. Later, a rail line at a length of eight km, a bridge over the Periyar, and a station at Kalady were constructed as part of the project at a cost of ₹264 crore.
The project got stalled following protests by a section of people. The majority of land owners who agreed to provide their land for the project are in distress as they are unable to sell their property or take loan pledging the land after stones were laid on their land as part of the project. The State government should give its consent for the project at the earliest, said the Sabari Action Council in a statement.
The State Federation of Sabari Railway Action Councils submitted a petition to the Chief Minister seeking his approval of the revised estimate for the project.
It said the project could be developed as a parallel rail line to the State capital and Vizhinjam port. Its office-bearers said the development of Sabari Railway as a parallel line to the existing rail line would help increase transport facilities in half of the districts of Kerala.
