The final approval for the SilverLine semi-high-speed-rail project is likely to be delayed further as the Railway Board is looking for political clearance to give final nod for the project. The delay in giving final approval will result in overshooting of the estimated cost of the project by around ₹3,500 crore per year, according to a top source.
An official delegation led by Kerala Railway Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL) managing director V. Ajith Kumar is in New Delhi in connection with securing the final approval for the project.
A senior bureaucrat privy to the project said although the State was moving ahead with the social impact study and laying of alignment stones in various districts on the identified properties as per the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013 the final approval for the project was subject to political approval to be granted by the Centre.
