Interview | SilverLine rail project will do more harm to environment than declared benefits, says urban designer

A cursory glance at the project as projected in the Environmental Impact Assessment report demonstrates how calamitous the project would be to Kerala’s vulnerability, says former Chairman of the Delhi Urban Art Commission K.T. Ravindran.

“Kerala’s SilverLine semi high-speed rail project will do more harm to the environment than the declared benefits to the State,” says K.T. Ravindran, urban designer and former Chairman of the Delhi Urban Art Commission, in an email interview to The Hindu amidst the growing controversy over the Left Front government’s decision to go ahead with the.

I am aware that political swords have already been crossed on this issue. As an admirer of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, I do not wish to enter that debate. Yet in my view the SilverLine project will do more harm to the environment than the declared benefits to the State. Higher speed is equal to higher cost. The faster the speed, more capital intensive a project, less accessible the project is for ordinary people of Kerala. Problem is, do we need more speed or do we need better job opportunities and amenities for the people? Certainly not more speed !