Initial technical problems apart, Delhi Metro could be executed in a better and more satisfying way than Kochi Metro which is still plagued by problems such as inordinate delay in land acquisition, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) Principal Advisor E. Sreedharan has said.
Still, Kochi Metro could make savings of up to ₹400 crore due to reasonable rates quoted by contractors, sound design, swift decision making and execution by the DMRC. The metro agency’s work culture, planning and project management helped the metro adhere to the deadline in the Aluva-Palarivattom-Maharaja’s College Ground corridor.
Speaking to media persons after delivering the Chavara Memorial Lecture at Sacred Heart College here on Tuesday, he said Kochi Metro did not encounter as many technical issues as Delhi Metro. But inordinate delay in land acquisition, especially in the Vyttila-Pettah-Thripunithura was a cause for concern, since even civil works had not begun here. Hartals, labour and quarry strikes too posed problems in Kochi.
Reiterating that all works in the 13-km-long Aluva-Palarivattom corridor would be over by March, Mr. Sreedharan said the inability to commission the entire (phase one) 25-km-long stretch up to Pettah would affect passenger patronage initially.
To a question on DMRC deciding to retender pending civil works in the Maharaja’s Ground-Ernakulam Junction Railway Station and Vyttila Kunnara Park-Pettah stretches, with the additional option of Pettah-Thripunithura corridor, he said it was up to Kochi Metro Rail Limited to decide on whether to extend the four-year agreement with the DMRC, which would expire in June.
Message to youth
The metro man called upon the youth to accord top priority to integrity, punctuality, social commitment and professional competence. He exhorted them to go to bed early, awake early, adhere to a healthy diet and to lessen usage of cell phones.
