Thiruvananthapuram: Following Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's agreement, the Kerala Assembly will hold a two-hour discussion on the SilverLine project today afternoon, as requested in a notice filed by several UDF MLAs.

Vijayan said he was willing to discuss the proposal in the Assembly because it was crucial for the state's future development. Following that, Speaker M B Rajesh stated that deliberations on the project would begin at 1 p.m., as per House rules.

Several UDF MLAs submitted the notice for debate since there have been widespread protests by the general public in various parts of the state against the survey being performed to identify land for the project.

The Kerala government's ambitious SilverLine project, which is anticipated to cut travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to around four hours, is being opposed by the opposition Congress-led UDF, which claims it is "unscientific and unworkable" and will burden the state financially.

K-Rail, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Railway Ministry for constructing railway infrastructure in the southern state, would build the 530-kilometer length from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.  SilverLine trains will stop at Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, and Kannur before reaching Kasaragod, starting from the state capital.

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