Kochi: Soon a two-kilometer ride would take you from the Ernakulam Junction to the Ernakulam Town railway station without circumnavigating the city, saving valuable time for hundreds of commuters daily.
The road connecting the two terminals in the city, remained a non-starter for several years, with the Kochi Corporation lacking a proper plan. Now the railways and the corporation will conduct a joint survey so as to make a solid draft plan and path alignment, including factors like land acquisition and families to be rehabilitated.
The project revival came up for discussion at a meeting of stakeholders involved in implementing major railway projects in the district.
“Already there is a road from the KSRTC depot to the South station. The railways now agreed to issue NOC for activities such as construction, survey and development on the remaining stretch, including behind the Ambedkar Stadium. Both the agencies will carry out a joint survey here,” said Hibi Eden MLA. The KSRTC had earlier parted with a stretch owned by it for the 10-metre wide road at Karikkamuri.
A Town Planning officer with the corporation said the survey and the alignment fixation would be completed in six months when the actual construction works commence.Any evictions if needed will also be done in this period.
Meanwhile, another key project -- the Railway Overbridge near Naval airport at Vathuruthy which is expected to be the permanent solution to traffic congestion faced by West Kochiites for long, has also got a fresh lease of life.
“Hibi Eden MLA took up the matter citing key hurdles such as NOC from the Port Trust for land acquisition and submission of revised plan by the RBDCK," sources said.
"While the Port Trust said it had no objection, an RBDCK representative informed it would submit the plan to the railways without much delay. The railway said it would meet half the project cost, and the corporation also promised to realise rest of the amount needed. All the parties agreed to act fast on their part for early initiation of the project.”
