Kochi: The Queen of Arabian Sea has suffered birth pangs for nearly two decades. From the day the idea was set into motion, on July 21, 1999, when the Nayanar ministry entrusted RITES to conduct a feasibility study about an exotic rapid transport system in Kochi, it had taken a month short of 18 years for the baby to make its first run along the rails over the bloodied belly of an overwhelmed Kochi. The people of Kochi are now eagerly waiting to see whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give the green signal for the second phase of Kochi Metro from Palarivattom to Kakkanad when he formally inaugurates the Metro service on Saturday. Kochi has earned this right. There has been a substantial savings on the original estimate for Kochi Metro, a figure that Metroman E Sreedharan will reveal in the presence of the Prime Minister.
It is up to the union government has to give the clearance for the second phase. The state government has given its nod for the Rs 2,577-crore project covering a distance of 11. 17 km from JNU stadium station to Infopark at Kakkanad. The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd has already submitted the proposal for the approval of the union government. The French funding agency, AFD which has provided a portion of the expenses for the first phase, has expressed its willingness to fund the Kakkanad extension. Kochiites also wish to know whether the Metro authorities will announce the extension of the services from Pettah to SN Junction at Tripunithura. The first phase of the project covering a distance of 25 km is from Aluva to Pettah Junction. Political differences have also been set aside. Former Chief Minister Oommmen Chandy, under whose watch the project was given a booster dose and who has not been invited for the inaugural function, did not sound bitter. “Now is not the time for controversies,” Mr Chandy said. “What is of significance is the result. If there is determination, Kerala can achieve anything and Kochi Metro is an apt example,” he said.
The state government and security agencies, meanwhile, have made all efforts to make the inaugural function a grand success. The central and state security agencies are on their toes to provide fool-proof protection to the PM. DGP T.P. Senkumar has been camping in the city and supervising the arrangements. According to the schedule, the special aircraft carrying Mr Modi will touch down at the Kochi Naval Base airport at 10.15 a.m. After the ceremonial welcome, he will proceed to Palarivattom Metro station by road for a train ride up to Pathadipalam and back. Mr Modi will enter the Palarivattom station at 10.35 a.m. After cutting the ribbon, he will travel in the train along with Governor P. Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu, secretary, Urban Development Rajiv Gouba, state chief secretary Nalini Netto, DMRC principal advisor E. Sreedharan and KMRL MD Elias George.
After the ride, the dignitaries will come to Jawaharlal Nehru stadium for the public function. Yogesh Saini and Sumit Kumar will be the train operators for the PM's journey. Pawan Kumar and Anil Kumar will support them from the driver's cabins. Reading month: The PM will inaugurate the P.N. Panicker memorial reading month celebration at the St.Teresa’s college in Ernakulam at 12. 15 p.m. He will leave for Naval Base at 1.05 p.m. and hold a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others before emplaning for Delhi at 1.25 p.m. Kochi Metro will start commercial operations from 6 a.m. on Monday. The trains will start from Aluva and Palarivattom simultaneously and finish the day's ride at 10 p.m. at Aluva. There will be 219 trips between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
