The State government’s decision on Wednesday to revive the Light Metro may have cleared the uncertainty that loomed over the future of the proposed ₹2,500-crore project for Kozhikode city.
But a daunting task awaits the Revenue Department in the form of land acquisition. Securing the approval of the Public Investment Board (PIB) of the Centre is also a tough task.
The land required for the project is 10.13 hectares, which include 1.58 hectares in private possession. So far, no step has been taken to carry out a survey for the project. “The Revenue Department had earlier given an estimate to the requisition authority - Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) - to remit 35% of the estimate to proceed with the preliminary works. It had then hoped to get a special order of the government for the purpose, ” N.B. Raghu Raj , Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition), said. Special Tahsildar (City Road Development) S. Muraleedharan Pillai, who is in charge of the acquisition procedures for Light Metro, said that the total compensation package, roughly worked out, was ₹25 crore. “A survey for acquiring land and issuing a notification can be done only after remitting the amount, ” he said.
Meanwhile, the government has also committed to hand over 17 acres of land at the medical college for setting up a depot, and acquire land at Mananchira and Meenchanda. The announcement by Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran to issue order this week for widening the 3.5-km stretch from Mananchira to Meenchanda also gives the hope of commencing the preparatory work for the project.
However, it is still unclear whether the DMRC will reopen its office in Kozhikode which was closed on June 30. The shutting down of the office was attributed to several reasons, including the future of the proposed Light Metro project.
As of now, the DMRC has been able to construct a T-shape overbridge at Payyanakkal in connection with the Light Metro project.
The fully elevated Light Metro, covering a distance of 13.33 km from Meenchanda to Kozhikode Medical College, will have 14 stations at Medical College, Chevayur, Thondayad, Kottooli, New Bus Stand, KSRTC station, Mananchira, Palayam, Railway Station, Pushpa Junction, Kallayi, Panniyankara, Vattakinar, and Meenchanda. If executed as scheduled, the project will come to fruition by 2021.
