Host of social issues aggravates protest against Kerala rail project

Mounting protests across Kerala over the demarcation of land for a semi-high-speed rail line is not just emotional outbursts over losing own land and home, but a host of other social issues like depreciation of land value on both sides of rail lines and difficulties in getting suitable alternative land for resettlement.

Unlike a road development project, where the value of the land on both sides of the road would naturally increase in due course, when it comes to a rail project, the value of land parcels dip in value as no development can take place on either side of rail lines.