Kochi: Metro Land acquisition to start soon

Kochi: Land acquisition for the construction of the 1.2 km metro in the Pettah-SN Junction stretch will begin in February, government officials said here on Monday.

“The hearing for rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package was completed and the report is  submitted to the commissionarate in Thiruvananthapuram for approval,” said a top official with the revenue department. “Once we get the approval, an announcement for kick-starting the LA process will be published in the gazette. We've already completed the survey." The official said the process is expected to begin next month.  

A total of 1.12 hectare is required to be acquired from 160 individuals and shop-owners. Though the initial target was January, the process took a little more time due to unseen challenges like the August flood and the frequent hartals, the official said.

This even as residents of the temple town threatened to launch an agitation over "delay" in metro construction activities.  "The metro service till SN Junction was initially promised to be completed as part of the first phase," said V.C. Jayendran, convener, Trippunithura Raja-nagari Union of Residents' Associations. “Then they promised to complete the land acquisition process and start construction works by January 1. This, too, was not done.”