Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday announced that the state government has decided to scrap the ambitious Silverline semi-high-speed rail corridor project proposed by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration.

Addressing a press conference after a Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said all land acquisition notifications issued for the project would be withdrawn. He also stated that the government would recommend the withdrawal of criminal cases registered against protesters who had opposed the Silverline project, subject to court approval.

“The Cabinet has decided to scrap the Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod semi-high-speed rail corridor project known as Silverline,” the chief minister said.

The proposed 530-km Silverline corridor, planned by K-Rail — a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways — aimed to reduce travel time between the northern and southern ends of the state to nearly four hours.

The project had triggered widespread protests across Kerala, particularly led by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Protesters had objected to land acquisition, environmental concerns and rehabilitation issues, with several demonstrations witnessing the uprooting of yellow survey stones placed along the proposed route.

Satheesan said the government decided to formally abandon the project because it had remained stalled for a long period, leaving landowners unable to carry out transactions involving properties marked for acquisition.

He further stated that the Centre had also not granted approval for the project after the state government moved away from it.

“All notifications related to land acquisition for the project will be denotified,” he said.

The chief minister added that the Home Department would examine the cases filed in connection with the anti-Silverline protests and make recommendations regarding their withdrawal based on the nature of each case.

“The final decision on withdrawal will depend on court approval,” he clarified.

The revenue department has also been instructed to remove the yellow concrete markers installed during the land acquisition process, he said.

Satheesan maintained that the UDF was not opposed to the idea of a high-speed rail corridor in principle, but had strongly objected to the Silverline proposal due to environmental and financial concerns.

“We opposed Silverline because there was no proper Detailed Project Report. Around 300 km of the corridor required 30-foot-high embankments, while another 200 km needed 10-foot-high walls. During monsoons, it could have led to environmental disasters,” he said.

According to the chief minister, extensive consultations with experts convinced the UDF that the project was not sustainable or viable.

He also criticised the previous LDF government for not formally denotifying the project despite effectively abandoning it earlier.

Apart from the Silverline decision, the Cabinet also approved the extension of the validity of all Kerala Public Service Commission rank lists expiring by August 31 till November 30.

Satheesan said the extension was necessary because very few appointments could be made during the election period, leaving many job aspirants disappointed.

“Normally, rank lists are not extended. But due to elections and related administrative delays, appointments were affected, causing difficulties for many youngsters,” he said.

The chief minister also announced that the government would begin implementing the promises made in the UDF manifesto under a programme titled “Vision 2031”.

According to him, the commitments outlined in the manifesto would be distributed among departments for timely implementation before the government’s term ends in 2031.

He said the administration plans to prioritise promises that can be fulfilled quickly within the first 100 days starting June 1.

The Cabinet additionally decided to constitute a sub-committee to recommend names for the Padma awards to the Centre.

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Satheesan also announced the appointment of advocate Mohammed Shah as the Additional Advocate General in the Kerala High Court.