Hundreds of activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) took out a march to the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) office on Tuesday demanding time-bound completion of Kochi metro and steps to streamline traffic flow in the vicinity of metro work sites.
Speakers at a dharna organised in front of the KMRL office in Revenue Tower said traffic problems could have been avoided if the State government, the Kochi Corporation and the KMRL had widened narrow roads, developed alternative roads and bridges that were planned years before metro works commenced. Currently, even ambulances are stuck in traffic for long periods.
The suspicion is rife that metro works are being delayed at the behest of vested interests. The statement by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) Principal Advisor E. Sreedharan that the metro might not be commissioned on time because of different obstacles pointed to the State government’s inability to speed up works, they said. Those who spoke include P. Rajeeve, MP, and CPI(M) district secretary C.M. Dinesh Mani.
