Sabarimala rail project ecologically unviable

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-cherished railway line to the famous Sabarimala hill shrine seems to have hit a roadblock with an environmental study finding it ecologically unviable.

"Laying the track to the shrine located on the slopes of the environmentally sensitive Western Ghats would involve big ecological and social disruptions," the study conducted by Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) and the state Biodiversity Board said.

Railway sources, however, expressed surprise over the conclusions of the study as all the initial works including the survey upto the final location to Azhutha had been completed.

"The 2008-09 Railway Budget has earmarked Rs 15 crore for the project, which was estimated to be completed at a cost of Rs 550 crore," a senior railway official said.

Until March 2008, Rs 17 crore had already been spent for preliminary works like project reports, survey reports, setting work office buildings and initial works on bridges.

Also, land acquisition work had started at places like Perumbavoor, Pala and Thodupuzha.

Out of 515 hectares of land required for the project, only 5.20 hectares had been acquired and handed over to the Railways by the state government, the official said.

The study had found that the alignment proposed from Angamali near Kochi to Azhutha near Sabarimala would be passing through the ecologically fragile Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR).