Kochi: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has convened a meet with senior officials of oil companies on January 16 as part of making changes to original alignment for the Petta-Tripunithura stretch after it was found to be passing “too close” to the underground gas pipelines there.
“We’ll be making changes to the alignment so that there will be no threat to the pipelines even while construction activities such as piling are undertaken. A final decision will be taken after taking the oil companies into confidence,” said a senior metro official.
As per the original alignment prepared by the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) in the two-km Petta-Tripunithura section, the metro pillars will come up at the centre of the road and 13 metres of land should be made available on both sides.
However, underground oil pipe lines are found to be at the right of the road in the SN junction direction from Petta.
“We plan to take more land to the left side, about 1.5 to two metres of additional land, and rework the alignment. We’re in close touch with the Revenue Department and start land acquisition in the stretch at the earliest so that no delay is suffered,” the official said.
The DMRC want construction in the Petta-SN Junction to be taken up along with the works in the Thykoodam-Petta section next year and wants the land acquisition and other processes to be completed before that.
The DMRC also want the contractor Cherian Varkey Constructions, entrusted with the work till Pettah, to carry out the construction work on the Petta-Tripunithura stretch too. Otherwise a separate tender needed to be called for under two-km stretch, a tough job as most contractors will be reluctant to take up the small work.
