KOCHI: With the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is available to commission the Kochi metro on June 17, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) held back-to-back meetings on Thursday to finalise the tentative schedule and other details like the ideal venue to host the event.
Details like the tentative minute-by-minute schedule, stage layout, and other relevant details are almost ready. They will be sent to the Chief Minister’s Office, from which they will be forwarded to the PMO for confirmation. A thematic but economical launch of the project has been envisaged, metro sources said.
The metro agency has suggested an open space at Aluva, the international stadium at Kaloor and the Marine Drive ground as the ideal venues for the high-security event. The PMO and security agencies will take a final call on the venue. Details like the Prime Minister travelling by the metro and the stretch he is expected to travel are yet to be finalised. Alternative plans in case of adverse weather too will have to be worked out, sources said.
First trip
Even if Mr. Modi inaugurates the project on June 17, the metro will begin regular operation only the next day. The first trip is expected to be reserved for students of special schools, orphanages, and old-age homes, and it will be organised with the help of the Social Welfare Department.
In the meantime, people who possess tickets/cards issued to them when work on the project were launched in June 2013 can exchange them for tickets for a single journey in the metro, it is learnt.
