High-Speed Rail: Railway Minister Fails to Answer MP John Brittas’s Question

New Delhi: The central government did not give a clear answer to John Brittas MP's question in the Rajya Sabha. The Union Railway Minister failed to provide a clear response regarding the feasibility study conducted by E. Sreedharan on Kerala’s proposed high-speed rail corridor. There was also no reply to the question of who would prepare the DPR (Detailed Project Report) for the high-speed rail project proposed by Sreedharan.

Instead of addressing the question directly, the Union Railway Minister referred to projects announced by previous governments. No proper answer was given regarding the Nemom railway terminal. When the Vice President, who is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, directly asked which of the three proposed projects would be allocated to Kerala, the Minister attempted to evade the issue by discussing project allocation in general.

The Minister’s replies suggested a lack of interest in sanctioning projects for Kerala. He put forward the bizarre argument that the projects were not being implemented because the Congress and Left parties were ruling in Kerala, thereby concealing the fact that the Centre was consistently ignoring the state. The state president stated that the BJP has no interest in Kerala’s development, as evident from the central government’s actions, including the slashing of projects even in the constituency where he is contesting the assembly election.