Senior Kerala Congress leader P.C. Thomas on Monday demanded that the proposed Angamaly-Erumely Sabari rail project be built in double track considering the larger benefits it was expected to bring to the nation. He said at least land should be acquired to meet the requirements for doubling in the future.
Mr. Thomas was addressing the media here against the backdrop of the latest developments that had put the project back on track after prolonged uncertainties over its implementation. Work on the rail line is expected to resume in due course, with the State government issuing notification for land acquisition following the decision of the State and Central governments to equally share the cost for the project.
Mr. Thomas, working chairman of the Kerala Congress and a former Union Minister, said he was proud to have raised the demand for a rail route from Angamaly to Sabarimala in his first term as a member of Lok Sabha in 1989. Recalling the earlier interventions and strikes for the project, Mr. Thomas said the project would have been completed at a cost of around ₹500 crore had it been implemented then. “It now costs around ₹4,000 crore,” he said.
