By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the primary time, the state authorities has launched paperwork substantiating its declare of the Centre’s in-principle approval for the SilverLine undertaking. Finance Minister Okay N Balagopal launched two official letters from the Centre giving the nod on this regard.
Quoting from the letters — one from the Ministry of Railways to the Chief Secretary on December 17, 2019, and one other from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on January 15, 2021 — Balagopal mentioned on Thursday that the state authorities has been going forward with SilverLine, primarily based on the Centre’s inexperienced sign.
As per the Railway Ministry’s letter, the semi-high-speed rail undertaking submitted by the state was examined and an in-principle approval given for taking over pre-investment actions. Balagopal mentioned the federal government expects the Centre to quickly problem the remaining clearances too.
He mentioned the Centre additional knowledgeable the state authorities that it might probably transfer ahead to finalise the monetary elements. In her letter to the CM, Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned the Department of Economic Affairs gave a inexperienced sign for the undertaking in October 2020.
“The Project Implementation Agency and the state government may engage with JICA to move forward to finalise the designing of packages that would facilitate co-financing and in the meantime land acquisition and other clearances may be expedited by the PIA,” mentioned the letter.
It is on this backdrop that the state authorities moved ahead retaining the folks’s curiosity in thoughts, Balagopal mentioned. On Wednesday, the railway minister had knowledgeable Parliament that sanction has not but been given to the SilverLine undertaking. Stating that the DPR for the undertaking is incomplete, Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned the ultimate nod might be given solely after assessing its techno-economic viability.
Elamaram, Venugopal spar over undertaking in RS
The SilverLine problem once more got here up earlier than Parliament on Thursday with CPM member Elamaram Kareem elevating the problem in Rajya Sabha looking for Central clearance for the undertaking and Congress’ KC Venugopal opposing it. Stating that SilverLine could be the largest milestone within the state’s developmental historical past, Kareem mentioned the Centre ought to present needed monetary help for the undertaking at once.
Even as Kareem raised the problem, Venugopal stood up alleging that the state authorities has been making an attempt to power the undertaking upon the plenty and other people don’t need the semihigh- pace rail undertaking. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, who was on the Chair, intervened saying the undertaking is at present earlier than the Union Government and let it take a name after detailed examination.
In one other improvement, KPCC president Okay Sudhakaran who favoured the undertaking on Wednesday, retracted from his stance a day after saying his phrases had been misquoted.
No want for hurry: CPIT’Puram: The SilverLine undertaking must be carried out solely after addressing folks’s issues, the CPI noticed. The get together state govt on Thursday mentioned the undertaking shouldn’t be carried out in a rush.
Sudhakaran backtracks T’Puram: A day after he favoured the SilverLine undertaking saying the Congress was not in opposition to it, Congress state president Okay Sudhakaran backtracked on his assertion on Thursday, claiming his phrases had been twisted. The transfer comes after Sudhakaran confronted flak throughout the get together and his detractors taking over the matter.
