No change in Metro Tripunithura link plan

KMRL managing director Elias George told reporters that a key reason which delayed the Metro works in Vyttila – Pettah stretch was the problem in land acquisition. “The PWD which owns the road needs more than Rs 400 crore for widening. Though discussions and negotiations at different levels were conducted, nothing could materialise. Now, the state government has agreed to provide Rs 80 crore before March 2015 for acquiring land which will catalyse the Metro works,” he said.

According to KMRL authorities, the extension to Tripunithura would be easily cleared as per the revised norms of the union government. “There are no issues in clearing the project. KMRL has already got additional money and loan offer for Tripunithura extension. And the project will not be shelved,” he asserted.

The KMRL board has approved Kakkanad extension in phase-I itself due to its financial feasibility and high ridership. “According to the feasibility studies, the proposed 11 km-long Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – Kakkanad line will have a financial rate return of eight per cent which proves its economic viability. The French funding agency AFD had also evinced interest in funding the Kakkanad extension,” he added.

Meanwhile, the KMRL chief turned down the proposal of connecting Tripunithura to Kakkanad via Seaport – Airport Road citing less ridership and non-viability.

The recent meeting of KMRL board had approved the detailed project report (DPR) for the Kakkanad extension at an estimated cost of Rs. 1600 crore. Early completion of this extension would help improve the viability of Metro phase-I, the board observed.

The Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Associations (TRURA), an apex council of nearly 100 residents associations in the municipality, would organise a ‘Protest assembly’ at Statue Junction on October 25.

“It was after much persuasion that Tripunithura was included in the Metro phase-1 and the sanction obtained by the Metro authorities here from higher circles. Now they are saying Metro trains would chug only till Vytilla under phase-1 and that the construction of the Palarivattom-Kakkanad route would begin then,” said Mr V.P. Prasad, president of TRURA.

The residents associations argued that while the Metro can be extended to Kakkanad from Tripunithura though the Seaport-Airport Road, the plan for the Palarivattom-Kakknad route was “questionable.”

“The former could be done without evicting a single person while thousands would have to be evicted to set up the route from Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to Kakkanad though the heart of the city,” Mr Prasad said.