Sabari rail project: govt. seeks details from district administrations

The State government has instructed the district administrations concerned to submit detailed proposals for acquiring land for the Angamaly-Sabari rail project, which the stakeholders are keen to revive despite remaining frozen for long.

The instructions were issued on Wednesday at an online meeting of District Collectors and other officials concerned called by K.M. Abraham, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and chief executive officer, Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), sources said.

The collectors of Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Idukki, the three districts covered by the proposed project, had recently sent proposals for land acquisition to the Transport department. The proposals comprised survey numbers and villages included in the project, it is learnt. The government has now sought details including the stages of different works initiated as part of the project earlier and the staff strength required to open the offices for land acquisition, sources said. The details have to be furnished within a month.

The proposal submitted by the Ernakulam Collector based on inputs from the Southern Railway carries details of required staff and stages of works initiated, an official said.

The district administrations are, meanwhile, awaiting clarification from the Railway Board on whether there is any change in the alignment of the proposed project. Collectors of Kottayam and Idukki and a Deputy Collector of Ernakulam were among the officials who attended the meet.