The possibility of taking up the metro rail project in Kochi has brightened with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director E.Sreedharan reassuring the State Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem on the viability of the project, during a meeting in New Delhi. The Planning Commission had expressed reservations on the project proposed to be taken up with central aid.
While the union government is understood to be keen on a public private participatory mode for execution of the project, the State government is opposed to it. The indecision has been posing delay to the project though preliminary works on the project such as survey of land had been initiated.
A detailed study had also been conducted by the DMRC a few years ago.
With a host of projects including the Vallarpadam international container terminal scheduled to be launched soon, the need for improved transport facilities has been a matter of urgent consideration. The metro rail project is widely considered as a meaningful solution to the transport woes in the city, having inadequate road infrastructure.
