With focus shifting to registering a company to spearhead the second phase development work of the Vyttila Mobility Hub, the VMH Society (VMHS) hopes to ready a revised detailed project report (DPR) by the end of March.
It had been decided in November 2020 to revise the DPR prepared by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to include, among other components, a CNG-refuelling station on 50 cents on the 25-acre premises of the hub. The revised DPR was slated to be ready in February 2021.
VMHS Managing Director Snehil Kumar Singh said that the State government was focused on forming a company, since the Society had many constraints, including for availing of loan to execute the second phase work.
“The formalities for the registration of the company are in final stages. We hope to arrive at a solid plan of action by the end of March. The plan is to implement the second-phase work on public-private partnership [PPP] mode,” he added.
French lending agency AFD had offered a soft loan for the work, and a society like VMHS has constraints in availing it. It is thus imperative that a special purpose vehicle (SPV) or a company be formed for the purpose, said KMRL sources.
The clamour to commence the second-phase work gains relevance, as over a year has passed since trains began calling at the metro station on the hub premises.
Ferries are slated to begin operation from the nearby Water Metro terminal in March, following which the Water Metro’s command and control centre will be commissioned here.
Apart from the CNG station, the hub is also expected to have provision to recharge e-vehicles. The revised design in the DPR will include elements from similar multi-modal hubs in countries like Singapore and South Korea. Besides, emphasis will be laid on widening roads leading to the hub from Vyttila Junction and providing pedestrians with their their rightful due, since the existing roads and footpaths are in a dilapidated state, official sources said.
