Thiruvananthapuram: On a serious accusation of the prestigious government Rail Silverline project, the former train engineering service officer who has prepared the initial feasibility report for the project on behalf of the project consultant, said that this report was based on the government ahead with this project truly manipulated and fraud.
Alok Kumar Verma, a former retired train engineering service officer from the 2016 train, was involved in 2018 by Systra, a French company appointed as a Project Consultant by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) to prepare a report of prelivacy for its project.
“There is a strong real estate angle for why they adopt a standard gauge for trains that run at speeds up to 200kmph, where the country does not have experience or expertise.
If the standard size is adopted for this project, we have to import everything, including design, technology, Stock rolling, etc., from abroad.
Overseas agencies will also offer soft loans for something we have to rely on to other countries.
Also, all stations have been designed to be out of town, “he told toi.
Verma said that after he prepared the initial feasibility report that asked KRDCL to reconsider several factors, including the measure, the KRDCL emphasized the stra to obtain a manipulated report, deviating many of the original project proposals submitted to the railway line as a large measuring project.
He said that the Silverline project would, in all probabilities, the only line – if it was built according to the current plan – which would be a fully alone line, separated from the existing railroad network.
“There is no comparative study to assess the relative advantages and demerits to build a line on a broad gauge versus a standard gauge done, and the train board never approved a standard measure.
The principle permit provided to this project also violated the train engineering code because there were no basic surveys determined in the engineering code conducted to accurately assess topographic features, and geological conditions, geotechnics and hydrology.
There are no traffic surveys made to estimate passengers, and the effects of acute urban frameworks in Kerala, and station locations on the outskirts far from the center The city on passengers is also ignored, “he said.
He said that after submitting the initial feasibility report, the final feasibility report was prepared in a hurry in just 55 days in accordance with the requirements provided by KRDCL.
This includes slapping the cost of the project from Rs 71,063 Crore to RS 56,443 Crore and the above traffic projection revision of 37,750 every day up to 67,740 every day.
The train is given a principle approval for the project based on a report full of irregularities and violations, including that Google Earth data is used to extract topographic data to set up uninstall without soil verification because the urgency of delivering the feasibility of shipping report to the railroad board, he said.
Meanwhile, opposition leader V d Sathean and former Minister of Chandy’s Oommity said that revelation by the former official was surprising.
Opposition leaders demanded that the game violation in the previous survey be raised by the opposition in the Assembly.
He said that the government would advance with fake reports without the right data.
Chandy demands that the government must release project feasibility reports in the public domain.
He said that the government did not let go of the report, feared that the shortcomings in the report would come out.