Kerala CM calls on new Railway Min Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi to discuss SIlverLine Project

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during his visit to New Delhi on Wednesday, July 14, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers to discuss various issues concerning the development of the state, including rail projects. They discussed the proposed Angamaly-Sabari railway line, light metro rail projects at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. 

The Chief Minister took to Twitter and shared the update of his meet with the Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, "K-RAIL's Silver Line will reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod to less than 4 hours. Along with Angamali - Sabari & Thalassery - Mysore lines discussed Kerala's semi-high speed rail line with Shri. @AshwiniVaishnaw ji and requested approval for the DPR".

Kerala's SilverLine project is a semi-high-speed railway system aimed at reducing travel time between the state’s northernmost tip, Kasargod district, and Thiruvananthapuram in the south, a distance of nearly 600 km. 

Kerala CM meets PM

After meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan addressed the media and said that he has asked PM to immediately release pending GST (Goods and Services Tax) of Rs 4,524 crore connected to 2020-21 fiscal.

Pointing to concerns over the raise in GST, he further added that the state requires help as there are a few financial issues. 

Referring to a long-time due request of AIIMS in Kerala, Vijayan said, "We discussed the demand for AIIMS in Kerala and the Prime Minister was very positive in his response". 

Vijayan informed that PM Modi has expressed interest in the possibility of inland waterways. 

A few other projects including the issues regarding allowing the landing of large aircraft at Kozhikode airport and those related to Kannur airport were put forth. 

COVID situation in Kerala

On July 13, the Kerala government had announced a complete lockdown in the state on July 17 and 18 in line with the current situation of Coronavirus infection spread. As per the State Government orders, collectors are recommended to declare micro-containment zones and implement stringent restrictions in areas with higher COVID-19 cases.

To date, Kerala has reported a total of 30.9 lakh COVID cases with 29.6 lakh recoveries and 14,810 deaths. 

(Image credit: PTI/ASHWINIVAISHNAW.IN)