Kerala Monorail Corporation Limited (KMCL) has asked the Technopark authorities whether they are ready to fund the rerouting of the elevated mass rapid transit system (MRTS) through the IT hub and provide the land needed for setting up the station.
The KMCL has sought 0.5 hectares to set up a monorail station while rerouting Reach 1, extending from the proposed Technocity near Pallipuram to Karyavattom.
The KMCL has written to the Technopark on whether they were interested in making available the funds for taking the MRTS through the highly secured campus and parting with the needed land, official sources told The Hindu .
As per current estimates, the additional line will cost Rs.316 crore. In addition to the land from the Technopark, another 86 cents of land will be needed for the alignment.
The KMCL has also asked the Technopark to look into the feasibility of rerouting the line as feeder bus services had been proposed for the IT employees.
The stations proposed are close to the block panchayat office and Regional Vocational Training Institute near Kazhakuttam.
Another monorail station had been proposed at Karyavatom near the Government Engineering College. As per the proposal, Reach I can be rerouted from Kazhakuttom Junction through the periphery of the Technopark to rejoin Reach 2, which extends from Karyavattom to Kesavadasapuram. Already, the Group of Technology Companies (GTech) has demanded the MRTS through the Technopark to solve the commuting problems facing IT professionals.
Hosting 45,000 working professionals, Technopark has the largest concentration of workforce on a single campus in the capital. IT professionals bring about 5,500 private cars and an equal number of two-wheelers every day.
In addition, around 200 hired vehicles, buses, mini-vans and cabs ferry employees.
The authorities will have to take into account the security aspect as the police have deemed the Technopark campus a ‘soft possible target for terrorist attack.’
Sources said the KMCL is yet to get a reply from the Technopark authorities although they had promised to take up the proposal in the board meeting.
