Social activist Medha Patkar will speak at the protest pavilion of K-Rail Janaki Pratishthan Samiti at Kattil Pedika in Vengalam on Monday at 9 am.
Protest committee president TT Ismail told reporters here on Saturday that Ms. Patkar’s visit would definitely give a fillip to the ongoing anti-K-Rail protests across the state.
In June 2020, the committee at Vengalam started the first protest in the state against the semi-high-speed Silverline rail project. He held several protests till October 2020 and launched a permanent protest pavilion at Kattil Pedica on October 2, 2020. Ms. Patkar’s visit is on the 465th day of the protest.
Many prominent personalities have visited the protest pavilion irrespective of political affiliations, organizations and religions. Mr Ismail said the compensation package announced by the state government was of no concern to the protesters, who wanted the project to be abandoned at any cost.
“This project, if executed despite public outcry and after borrowing huge amount from outside sources, will lead to destruction of the state. All socio-economic and environmental experts have told that it will be a disaster. If the government is bent on implementing it, even breaking the law for it, we will oppose it legally,” Mr. Ismail said.
He said the protesters did not pay heed to the political statements of the party leaders. He also dismissed reports as propaganda that a section of people who were affected by the project were happy with the compensation package. “This protest is in favor of the common man and we are confident that every common man will support us,” he said.
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