![]() Some of the staff was shifted for land acquisition for the ongoing double lining of the railway line via Kottayam. The staff manning these offices was sent on deputation to other departments. But as the project was still in limbo, the land acquisition offices became defunct. Subsequently, the line alignment was redrawn to ensure minimum destruction of houses and permission in this regard was obtained. Though the survey was completed and line alignment was confirmed, there was strong opposition from certain quarters over land acquisition plans. The state government's share can be given in instalments as per the progress of work. With the project getting delayed indefinitely, the estimated cost in 2017 has now escalated to Rs 2,825 crore, of which 1407.5 crore has to be given by the Kerala government. The initial estimate for the project was Rs 550 crore. Locomotive trial run held from Madurai to Theni However, the project got delayed due to various reasons. ![]() The project was envisaged for providing facilities to the Ayyappa devotees coming from various parts of the country and also for the development of Kerala's south-east region. The initial work had begun on the 10-km Kalady-Perumbavoor stretch too. So far only a 7-km rail line has been constructed between Angamaly and Kalady as part of the project. The Sabari Rail or Sabarimala Railway project envisages the construction of a railway line from Angamaly to Erumeli. The income generated through the project, minus expenditure, should be shared on a 50:50 ratio between the Railways and state.Įarlier the Kerala government had decided to bear 25 per cent of the cost involved in land acquisition for national highway development, in a similar fashion. Moreover, the development of the 20 railway stations along the proposed line should be carried out with a special company with public-private participation. Sabari Rail Action Council leader Gopalan Venduvazhy said the government should expedite steps to acquire lands by addressing the concerns of those losing land.The state government has decided to bear the cost with certain conditions. Kerala wants the Ministry of Railways to implement, operate and maintain the rail line. In the next phases, the railway line is proposed to be extended up to Thiruvananthapuram. The initial stretch of seven kilometres has been laid and Kaladi railway station, one of the 14 railway stations envisaged in the project, has been completed. "The government seems to be trying to create an impression that they are trying to develop Sabarimala by announcing the Sabarimala airport project and deciding to meet half the cost of the railway line," he said, adding that the successive CPM and Congress-led governments in Kerala are answerable to the people for delaying the project.Ī total of 470 hectares of land is required for the project, and steps for acquiring land are in progress. ![]() ![]() Hindu Aikya Vedi state president R V Babu said that the present decision could be seen only as an effort to repair the image of the government caused by its stand on Sabarimala women's entry issue. The Pinarayi Vijayan government that came to power in May 2016 scrapped the decision and asked the Centre to meet the full cost considering Sabarimala Ayyappa temple's importance. However, the UDF government led by Chandy also sat on the project for nearly five years and finally took the decision to bear 50% cost of the project in December 2015, while its rule almost ended. The project may still take years to materialise, as there are still concerns about environmental impact and protests over land acquisition.Ĭongress leader and former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy accused the Left Front government of making it an election stunt, as it had wasted time over the project earlier. The tussle between the Centre and state government over cost-sharing ended up wasting two decades while the cost went up from Rs 517 crore to Rs 2815 crore. Along with connecting Sabarimala to lakhs of pilgrims, the project will also connect the high-range district of Idukki and suburbs of Kottayam and Ernakulam in the initial phase and Pathanamthitta district in the second, giving a boost to the economic development of the region. The 111-km railway line from Angamaly in Ernakulam district to Erumeli in Kottayam district, which is around 40 kms from Sabarimala, was announced by the Centre in 1998. This is because much time and money have been wasted over the project. ![]() The decision has been criticised as a political stunt of the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala as the Assembly elections are fast approaching. The recent decision of the Kerala government to bear 50% cost of the Sabari Railway Project has given a fresh lease of life to the two-decades-old project that aims at providing railway connectivity to Sabarimala Ayyappa temple pilgrims. ![]()
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