UDF to form 'human chain' against Ker govt's SilverLine project on August 15

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 8 (PTI): At a time when the Left government in Kerala has affirmed its stand to go ahead with its flagship SilverLine project, the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) on Friday announced a series of state-wide protest programmes against the multi-crore semi high speed rail corridor to create awareness about its social, economic and environmental impact on the southern state.

After a meeting of the top leaders of the Congress-led front here, UDF convenor M M Hassan said anti-SilverLine rallies would be conducted across the state for four days from May 13 after dividing 14 districts into four zones.

''Prominent leaders of the UDF will lead the rallies in each district and they will take part in a series of protest meetings in each zone. The social, economic and environmental impact of the proposed project will be exposed through the protest rallies and meetings,'' he told reporters here.

If the government was still not ready to backtrack from the mammoth initiative, a human chain of party activists, environmentalists and like-minded people would be created from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod on August 15, the independence day, he said.

The opposition front also decided to observe May 20, the first anniversary of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, as the anniversary of 'destructive development'.

The CPI(M)-led government has nothing to showcase as their achievements in the last one year except some anti-people policies and initiatives, he alleged.

Evening 'Satyagrahas' would be conducted in all panchayats across the state against the Vijayan government's torture in the name of development, incessant price hike of essential commodities, breakdown of law and order and widespead usage of alcohol and contraband substances, Hassan detailed.

Stating that the SilverLine alias K-Rail was not a project which should be implemented after including it in the priority list, he also charged that the total expense of the initiative was expected to exceed Rs two lakh crore and a state like Kerala could not bear the burden.