Kerala - Kochi   

Vallarpadam terminal rail link project at a standstill

KOCHI: The work on the rail connectivity for the proposed Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal is heading towards an imminent deadlock unless the State government takes steps on a war footing to acquire the remaining land.

As of now, work is progressing at Vallarpadam. “The land acquisition is going nowhere and if the same situation continues we would be forced to call of the work within a couple of months,” Kesavachandran, Deputy General Manager of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, the implementing agency for the rail connectivity, told T he Hindu.

For the project to move forward a lot of openings would have to be made available. At least the contractors should have enough space to put up all the machinery and equipment, he said. With monsoon round the corner, there is a real danger of the work coming to a complete halt.

“We were hoping that land would be made available at least by February so that we could have done enough work before the onset of monsoon,” he said.

As per the original schedule the rail link was to be in place by March 2009. “This is now impossible,” Mr. Kesavachandran said.

Revenue officials said that of the total 4.30 hectares, only 2.84 hectares had been acquired so far. The proposed rail link passes through four villages – Edappally north and south, Cheranalloor and Mulavukad.

All the families in Edappally north (29) and south (57) have already handed over land while 13 families out of the 31 families in Mulavukad and 23 out of the 101 families in Cheranalloor are yet to give consent letters to surrender their land.

Mr. Kesavachandran said that though acquisition had been completed in Edappally north and south villages, law and order problems were being frequently created by the landowners demanding a package along the lines of the one declared for those displaced in Moolamppilly.

(Under this package, families which lose more than five cents would be given six cents each while others would get five cents each.

Besides, each family had been given Rs. 50,000 towards rent for 10 months and Rs.10,000 for moving out the valuables). All the other displaced are offered only four cents each irrespective of the land they had surrendered. “We have not been even able to knock off the structures standing on the acquired land owing to the continuing protests,” Mr. Kesavachandran said.

He said that under the prevailing circumstances he was in no position to make any prediction on the completion of the rail link.

Even if the entire land were to be made available immediately, it would take at least another one year for the completion of the works. Besides, the monsoon has also to be factored in. Revenue officials admitted that the differential packages were posing problems.

The landowners at Cheranalloor and Mulavukad who are yet to hand over their land are demanding Moolamppilly model-package, an official said. Those in Mulavukad had also demanded rehabilitation in their home village. They were to be originally rehabilitated in Cheranalloor village. Meanwhile, demolition of the buildings in the acquired land in Edappally north and south would begin on Wednesday, the official said.

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