Thiruvananthapuram | CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Saturday said the Congress-led UDF government should apologise to the people of Kerala for "obstructing" the Silverline project, which would have been completed by now, ushering in decades of development for the state.

Govindan's statement comes amidst reports that Metroman E Sreedharan has submitted a report to the UDF government with regard to a mostly elevated high-speed rail corridor aimed at significantly reducing travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod -- the two ends of the state.

The CPI(M) state secretary told reporters that the Left was not opposed to a high-speed rail corridor in Kerala and it was not adamant that only it can implement such a project.

However, it cannot be confidently said that the UDF will be able to implement such a project as they would use it solely as a publicity stunt, he claimed.

Govindan said that the UDF not only obstructed the Silverline project through protests and violent agitations, it scrapped it after coming to power.

"A high-speed or semi-high-speed rail corridor is necessary for the growth and development of Kerala. We are not of the view that just because it could not be implemented by us, it should never happen in the state," he said, adding that the Left will constructively support the government in all public-friendly ventures.

The Left government's 530-km Silverline project, planned by K-Rail -- a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways -- was expected to reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod to just four hours.

Extensive protests against the project occurred across the state, led by the Congress. Agitators uprooted and threw away many yellow markers associated with the project. The UDF government denotified the project on May 20.