Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Sunday that the loans being availed of for the implementation of the Kochi metro rail project should not turn into a burden for the State and the two metro agencies — Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) — should focus on timely completion of the project.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a meeting that he convened here to review the progress of the metro work and related projects, said a press release.
Mr. Vijayan also wanted the metro agencies to consider extending the first phase of the project to Maharaja’s College Ground instead of Palarivattom. He pointed to worsening traffic snarls and problems posed by inadequate parking facilities once the metro corridor up to Palarivattom was opened to passengers.
He wanted metro and Revenue officials to speed up land acquisition for the metro project (in Vyttila-Pettah-Thripunithura and Palarivattom-Kakkanad corridors) and to hold discussions with land owners for the purpose.
Work on the metro stretch between Aluva and Palarivattom was expected to be completed in March, while work up to Maharaja’s College grounds was expected to be completed in June, said KMRL officials. A total of Rs.3,425 crore has been spent from the available Rs.5,200 crore.
Metro officials updated the Chief Minister regarding Phase II of the metro project — from Palarivattom to Kakkanad, a distance of 11 kms. The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) had issued fresh guidelines and advised the KMRL to further revise and resubmit the cost along with the revised detailed project report, after its approval by the State government. Accordingly, the cost has been revised to Rs.2577.25 crore (including taxes and duties), with relevant changes in the project report, said the release.
Water metro
The Chief Minister said work on the proposed water metro project should be completed in 2019. Work on 38 new jetties and around 100 km of coastal road would be taken up by the KMRL, said the agency’s managing director Elias George.
The KMRL also presented updates on integrated water transport system for Kochi that aims to connect the mainland with the islands, to revive traditional, economical and eco-friendly mode of water transportation. The project involves the procurement of 78 modern boats and construction of 38 jetties. The project also includes construction of 100 km of island roads and connectivity to other modes of transport. It was appraised that the general consultant would be on board by February and it was expected that actual work would commence by June 2017.
DMRC chief consultant E. Sreedharan, Additional Chief Secretary Nalini Netto, District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla, KMRL director Praveen Goyal and former MP P. Rajeev were among those who participated in the review meeting, the press release said.
