State will bear 50% of Sabari rail project cost, Centre tells Kerala HC

Kochi: The central govt has informed high court that the state govt will bear 50% of the total cost of the proposed Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line project.An affidavit filed on behalf of Southern Railway further submitted that the state govt, in a communication to the Railway Board, had expressed its willingness to bear an amount of Rs 1,900 crore, inclusive of land acquisition costs, with financial assistance from KIIFB, towards the total project cost of Rs 3,800.90 crore. The affidavit was filed by Southern Railway deputy chief engineer Shabin Asaf in response to a 2019 petition seeking judicial intervention to revive the Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line project. It was also stated that both the central and state govts had taken steps to expedite the proceedings related to the project.Recording the submissions, the bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar on Wednesday disposed of the petition filed by Sabari Railway Central Action Council secretary Jijo Joseph. While disposing of the petition, the bench directed that the project should not be put in cold storage again and must be completed expeditiously.The core issue that had placed the project in uncertainty was that related to land acquisition. In 2022, HC had recorded that the Railway Board decided to keep the project in abeyance after the state govt withdrew its earlier decision to share 50% of the cost, citing significant delays in land acquisition and the finalisation of the alignment. However, after prolonged proceedings and discussions over the years, both the central and state govts decided to revive the Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line project.The affidavit further stated that, through a communication dated Jan 27, the Railway Board had directed Southern Railway to share the approved alignment and detailed project report with the state authorities. It also noted that the state had already initiated the land acquisition process.