Budget 2018: Rs 14,264 crore for Kochi metros, Rs 2.04 lakh crore for SCM

Kochi: The Union Budget has allocated Rs 14,264.60 crore for all the metros in the country including the Kochi Metro. For the current financial year, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited had requested Rs 70 crore as the pass-through assistance for the Phase 1. In last year budget, KMRL had sought Rs 303.91 crore including a subordinate debt (Rs 65.91 crore) and pass-through assistance (Rs 238 crore) and received it, said KMRL sources.

Rs 2.04 lakh crore for Smart City Mission (SCM)
Even though the Cochin Smart City Mission Limited (CSML) has failed to utilise the already provided Rs 200 crore, there's a total allocation of Rs 2.04 lakh crore for the ambitious initiative the next fiscal. The allocation is for the 99 smart cities selected including Kochi, which lags much behind others in conceiving and implementing projects.

Kochi entered the list in August 2015, and the first instalment of Rs 194 crore from the Union government came in April 2016. The 1700 acres of project area includes Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Marine Drive, Broadway and MG Road. Implementation of the proposed projects got delayed due to more than one reason including the selection of a project management consultant. Uninterrupted water and power supply, waste management, rejuvenation of water bodies, improving pedestrian walkways, smart lighting and cycle tracks, e-governance are some of the project proposals under consideration.