Title - Protest against Rail Corridor project

Janakeeya Samithi has taken out a protest march and dharna to the Kanayannur taluk urging the government to abandon the proposed High Speed Rail Corridor project. The project will result in the eviction of tens of thousands of families, the protestors alleged.The feasibility report has said that 110 meters of land needs to be acquired for the project which could mean that around 2,500 families will lose their homes, said convener of the samithi A B Sabu.

The feasibility report was hidden during the meeting of political parties and bureaucrats where the authorities said that only 20 m will be required for the project, he said. The protestors said that since the government hasn’t even delivered the  packages announced for the families evicted from Moolampalli, they don’t believe in the guarantees announced by the government.

Inaugurating the dharna, advocate Jayashankar said the tax burden on the people will increase if the Rail Corridor Project is implemented. “This project is a plot by the bureaucrats to real public money in the name of development,” he said.

A B Sabu, Savier Taayengeri, Kuruvilla Mathews, P V Chandra Bose, Eloor Gopinath, A A Bava, Roy Thekan and Shinu Mathews spoke on the topic.Councillors K E Ali, K V Joy, Mini Anilkumar, Shivan Kunj, Advocate Antony and V O Biju led the protest.