High-speed rail corridor turns hot topic during Lok Sabha polls

KOZHIKODE: The protest committee on high-speed rail corridor has come up with an election bargain to get the support of the next MP from Kozhikode Lok Sabha assembly constituency.

As part of the move, the protest committee has issued a warning saying that they will support only that candidate who would give them written assurance that they would pressurize the central government to withdraw the high-speed rail corridor proposal.

"We will take every action possible to defeat the candidate who would support the high-speed rail corridor project," said Manoj Kumar Cheekkappata, chairman of the committee. "The candidate should give us the assurance that he would be in the forefront if the central and state governments go ahead with the project," he demanded.

According to protest committee leaders, over 75,000 families will face evacuation if the government goes ahead with the project.

The protest committee has been organizing various programmes for the past two years in connection with the issue.

The proposed rail corridor will cover the 60-kilometre stretch of Kozhikode and will affect nearly 10000 families, claimed A Bijunath, organizing secretary of the committee. In Kozhikode alone, over 1500 acres of land will have to be acquired for the purpose, he said.

The protesters also claimed that the votes of over 60,000 affected persons will be crucial in the Lok sabha election in Kozhikode. "We have decided to approach all the candidates with our demand," they added.