Vijayan promises doubling of aid for K-Rail evictees

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought to assuage the feelings of the agitators against the K-Rail, also known as SilverLine, project by promising compensation of two times and more for the land acquired for his dream project that aims to reduce train travel between Thiruvanathapuram and Kasargod to just four hours.

The demarcation work ahead of a socio-economic impact study for the project has been met with stiff resistance from the local people across the state, often leading to tension between the protesters and the police who accompany the survey work team.

Vijayan said there was no question of the state government going back on the project as it is meant to secure the future of coming generations.

Opposition parties have alleged that the project, which will cut the state in two parts vertically, is meant to pocket 10 per cent commission. They also warned that it will prove to be another Nandigram, which sealed the fate of the CPI-M in West Bengal.

Vijayan criticised the media for highlighting the wrong things about society and ignoring real issues of the people. While inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of the Calicut Press Club in Kozhikode, he accused the media of being hostile to his government.

He observed that the media has failed to educate the people about the need for development. In the past, press used to be oriented towards development and said the media had also played a role in the establishment of projects like the Bhilai Steel Plant.

Troubles of a few families were never made out to be an issue then, he asserted. But the media seems to have given up development-oriented journalism, he added.

Vijayan urged the media not to be the megaphone for those who are trying to stall

development, as they tend to be doing currently, according to him.

The chief minister asserted that the SilverLine project

cannot be compromised just because some people are opposing it. The media must not give credence to troublemakers, he added.