Kochi: The Kochi Metro Rail project needs the urgent intervention of the new government for hastening the land acquisition process, especially on the Vytilla-Pettah section, if the first phase is to be completed by the June 2017 deadline.
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) also hopes to get the cabinet approval for the Metro Aqua project so as to facilitate signing of the tripartite pact between it, the German bank KfW and the department of economic affairs for obtaining Rs 819.23- cr loan.
Kochi Metro Rail project
Besides, a proposal for setting up the Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority, a single agency for planning and regulating the entire urban transport system for Kochi, is also before the government.
“The major challenge to get the project going is the land acquisition on the Pettah-Vytilla section. Still 40 plots there could not be acquired due to the differences with the land owners over the compensation amount. We’ve lost too much time and now strict measures like forceful acquisition are needed to get the project back on rail,” said a senior official.
Similarly, the Rs 819.23-crore Metro Aqua project has already got the centre’s nod and the KMRL is planning to obtain 80 per cent of the funding from German bank KfW. “The project got the cabinet approval in November last year but we were forced to again send it for cabinet nod following certain changes,” the official said.
Though the KMRL submitted the draft bill of UMTA Kerala for the approval nearly two years ago, the previous government didn’t take the initiative to clear it. The establishment of UMTA is essential for integrating the existing transport systems such as bus, rail, boat services with the metro project for providing seamless connectivity from and towards the metro stations.
