Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant development for Kerala’s infrastructure landscape, the state government has officially cancelled the land acquisition notification issued earlier for the controversial SilverLine semi-high speed rail project. This decision effectively removes restrictions on property transactions in areas previously earmarked for the corridor and marks a key turning point in the future of the project.
The land acquisition notification which had limited the ability of landowners to sell, transfer, or mortgage their properties along the proposed corridor has now been withdrawn. As a result, affected landowners can once again move freely about their land holdings, consult with potential buyers, and make decisions that were earlier effectively frozen due to acquisition proceedings.
Government officials clarifying the move have noted that while the SilverLine project has not been formally scrapped in Cabinet records, all procedural steps associated with acquiring land have been completely nullified. This includes prior actions on surveying and boundary marking that had been carried out to demarcate properties for the project’s alignment. Authorities also pointed out that survey demarcations by K-Rail for social impact assessment are now considered invalid and will have to be redone if the state revives the effort in the future a scenario rendered highly unlikely amid lack of central approvals.
The backdrop to this cancellation lies in growing institutional and political resistance to the SilverLine initiative. The central government has repeatedly refrained from granting formal approval for the project’s implementation, even as alternative transport schemes have been explored by the state. Notably, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently announced the cabinet’s approval for a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) linking Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod a initiative expected to take shape in the wake of SilverLine’s uncertain status.
For years, the SilverLine proposal envisioned as a 530-kilometre, high-capacity railway corridor drew strong reactions from both proponents and opponents. While supporters championed its potential to drastically reduce travel times across the state, critics raised concerns over the massive land acquisition scale, environmental impact, and displacement of communities. This friction sparked sustained grassroots opposition, including prolonged protests demanding cancellation of the project’s land notifications and legal cases being registered by the agitation groups.
With the land acquisition order now rescinded, many local residents have described the move as a long-awaited relief, lifting the cloud of uncertainty that hung over families whose properties were entangled in the project’s planning. Analysts say the cancellation also signals a broader recalibration in Kerala’s infrastructure priorities, aligning with national policy perspectives on sustainable and phased regional transport alternatives.