Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has strongly criticized Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s recent comments in Parliament blaming Kerala’s alleged complacency for delays in the Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari railway line project. Vijayan condemned the statement as “unfortunate, baseless, and politically motivated,” asserting that it was intended to mislead the public and deflect responsibility from the Centre.
Vijayan highlighted that the Centre has not provided the promised Rs 2,125 crore for the Sabari rail line project, which was meant to cover land acquisition costs for three railway projects. Out of this amount, Rs 1,823 crore has already been utilized for various steps, including the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari rail route. He noted that the remaining works are still in progress, but the Centre’s failure to fulfill its financial commitments has hampered the project’s advancement.
The Chief Minister accused the Centre of consistently neglecting Kerala’s railway development needs. He pointed out that no new railway projects for Kerala were announced in this year’s budget and criticized the Centre for shifting blame to Kerala instead of addressing its own shortcomings.
Vijayan detailed the steps Kerala has taken for the Sabari rail line project:
Land Acquisition: Kerala has acquired 70 km of land for the project and offered to cover 50% of the expenses.
Cost Increase: The estimated project cost has risen by 36% to Rs 3,811 crore.
Financial Proposal: The state proposed to cover 50% of the increased amount by taking a loan through KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board), but the Centre has not responded to this request.
Concessions Sought: Kerala requested a concession to avoid having this loan affect its public debt limits, but the Centre did not provide a response.
Vijayan’s remarks reflect ongoing tensions between the state and central governments over railway infrastructure projects and funding.
