End seems to be in sight over the vexed issue of takeover of land leased to St. Albert’s College for Kochi Metro with a consensus reached over the issue at a high level meeting.
The row over the handing over of the St. Albert’s College ground adjoining the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor had been a stumbling block in the progress of the metro work in the area. “I hope that the issue will be resolved and the metro work can commence at the site immediately,” said Elias George, managing director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited.
The meeting attended by Railway Minister Aryadan Mohammed and Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash in the presence of Mr. George, district collector M.G. Rajamanickam, and St. Albert’s College authorities came up with a solution to the long pending issue.
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It was decided that the college would be compensated for giving up 88 cents for the project. A parcel of 14 cents that the government had recently acquired from an unauthorised nursery behind the college ground would be utilised for the purpose. Land belonging to Greater Cochin Development Authority would also be used to give the compensation promised.
A separate understanding is likely to be reached between the State government and the GCDA for the purpose. GCDA chairman N. Venugopal had come up with a proposal to compensate the college at the height of the issue last October.
The college authorities are learnt to have sought lease of the college ground. The State government has agreed to consider the request sympathetically in light of precedents given to other similarly placed aided educational institutions and earlier Government orders in the matter. The college has a ground measuring 4.5 acres given to it on lease by the State government.
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