SilverLine protesters elated, say CM’s decision was faster than a high-speed train

Kottayam: Residents of Madappally and Chengannur, who fought for years to save their homes and land, burst crackers and distributed sweets on Wednesday while celebrating the new UDF govt's decision to scrap the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project. The decision came as a relief for hundreds of families along the proposed corridor whose lands were marked for acquisition.Madappally, a village near Changanassery in Kottayam, became one of the most active centres of anti-SilverLine agitation. The visuals of a protesting resident, Roselin Philip, being dragged along the road by police beside her terrified young daughter weeping beside her became the human face of the movement.Philip told TOI that they submitted a memorandum to CM V D Satheesan on Tuesday. "The decision on that was made much faster than a high-speed train," she said. "Around 400 houses were affected by the project in Madappally, with 2-3 families in each house. The CM has promised to visit our village on the day when we demolish the agitation pandal," she said. Wednesday marked the 1,490th day of their agitation. Residents also celebrated in Alappuzha including at Mulakuzha, Piralassery, Kozhuvallur, Venmani, Nooranad and Palamel.The removal of yellow survey stones from the traditional kitchen in front of Thankamma's home in Kozhuvallur gained state-level attention. Congress workers, led by Ramesh Chennithala, removed the stones, which were reinstated by CPM, under minister Saji Cherian. Eventually, a plantain stalk auction was held at the same spot by K-Rail SilverLine People's Committee to build a new house for Thankamma.Sindhu James, a housewife from Kozhuvallur, was jailed for three days for protesting the laying of yellow stones in Thankamma's kitchen. She suffered physical and mental abuse from the police and had to be hospitalised. She still faced numerous cases, with 13 settled so far, while demands for the withdrawal of the remaining continued.The initial phase saw massive protests when SilverLine inspections began in the wetland areas of Padanilam. Many, including women, were taken away by the police, leading to protests even at police station. Kozhuvallur, Cherian's hometown, saw protests due to changes in track alignment.Anti-SilverLine campaign state coordinator Sharanyaraj said: "For nearly seven years, the peaceful lives of millions were disrupted. The protest included not just victims but also environmental and social activists, the public, political parties and media. Women and children had significant involvement in the protest from the start," she said.Santosh Padanilam, who was at the forefront of the protests, said: "The project was harmful to agriculture and farmland. Initially, cases were filed against 60 people in Nooranad. Many cases related to the removal of yellow stones are still ongoing. Some paid fines to get them ended," he said.