Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) will hand over the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the metro’s 11-km-long Kakkanad extension on Monday to the Urban Development Ministry to obtain the Centre’s nod.
The State had accorded its sanction on Wednesday and a Government Order (GO) too was issued.
“Awaiting a positive response from the Centre, we are gearing up to begin piling for Kochi metro’s 11.20-km-long Kakkanad extension from December 2019. Preparatory works (like widening the corridor to 22 metres) will be completed before that. A social impact assessment is under way prior to acquiring the land required,” said A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, Managing Director of the metro agency.
The ₹2,310 crore extension up to Infopark is set to be realised by early 2023, if the Centre accords its nod in the coming months.
UMTA Act
In the meantime, the State Assembly’s inordinate delay in passing the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA-Kochi) Act is seen as a hiccup in obtaining the Centre’s nod for Kochi metro’s 11.20-km-long Kakkanad extension. As per the revised Metro Rail Policy, 2017, constitution of UMTA to ensure seamless integration of different modes of public transport is a pre-requisite for the Centre to accord sanction for new metro projects and the extension of existing ones. The policy also lays much emphasis on the feasibility of metro rail - whether there will be adequate patronage for hewing out a metro corridor along a certain stretch, said D. Dhanuraj, chairman of city-based think tank CPPR.
Else, other options for mass transit like tramway or a bus-rapid corridor (BRT), which entail much lesser capital investment, would have to be probed.
Emphasis on TOD
Mr. Dhanuraj also sought emphasis on readying the ground work for transit-oriented development (TOD) on either side of corridors, prior to metro or other systems of mass rapid transport beginning service. “Such corridors must be densified, meaning steps should be taken so that more people live, work or visit frequently within 700 metres of the route.”
For this, metro and civic agencies must come together and work, making available footpaths, road infrastructure, drainage system, adequate water, power supply, etc. Steps must also be taken to remove encroachers and haphazard parking, Mr. Dhanuraj said.
Responding to this, Mr. Hanish hoped that the UMTA Act will be passed at the next Assembly session. A problem with built-up corridors is that development was not systematic. The TOD system is apt for greenfield areas where town planning is possible, he said. “The Centre is laying much emphasis on mopping revenue from non-ticketing options like value-capture financing. In this, the enhanced land value along a metro corridor is monetised, by constructing townships and the like. Feeder transport will have to be made available to ensure last-mile connectivity from the metro corridor for commuters,” Mr. Hanish said.
