A high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Wednesday has asked the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to pay compensation for land acquisition through the district administration.
The meeting held in the Secretariat decided that 0.61 hectares would be acquired from Apollo Tyres, Kalamassery, for Kochi Metro. The orders will be issued on Thursday. The Aluva Municipality and the Kochi Corporation were asked to hand over land in their possession for the project. Government guidelines would be followed in awarding compensation for the two local bodies.
The proposal to acquire the land near the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, taken on lease by St. Albert’s College, came up for discussion. The college and the Greater Cochin Development Authority should be given compensation. The District Collector was asked to submit a proposal and the next Cabinet would decide on the issue.
The KMRL and the district administration would decide on the compensation and the rehabilitation of those displaced.
The Chief Minister said land acquisition needed to be expedited for the timely completion of the project. Principal Advisor to DMRC E. Sreedharan said the Union government should be reminded of the Rs.30 crore to be sanctioned by the Railways for the re-construction of the North Railway Bridge.
The KMRL would be given Rs.11 crore immediately by the government to improve traffic in the project area.
The Chief Minister said that he would visit the metro work site on September 16.
