Kochi: With the metro commercial operation all set to start in another couple of weeks, the Aluva Municipality has started an eviction drive removing illegal makeshift shops and commercial hoardings along road sides. “We expect an increased traffic flow into the town once the metro starts operation. Hence as a preliminary measure, we’ve evicting out the illegal vendors at places like railway station, KSRTC stand, district hospital and pump junction among others. Also the transport buses circumnavigating the town were stopped,” said Lissy Abhraham, Chairperson, Aluva Municipality.
MLA Anwar Sadath had convened a couple of meeting to resolve the expected traffic congestion issue for which the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) officials too held parleys with the municipality. “The need of the hour is multi-level parking facility as people from near-by areas are expected to arrive at Aluva to catch the metro. We have identified ‘purambokku’ land of the Revenue department behind the metro station for this. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also agreed to consider the proposal once the commercial operations begin,” Lissy said.
The municipality will also implement Town Improvement project with the help of the MLA. “Another Rs seven-crore project ‘Smart Aluva’ is also initiated to find a solution to the expected increased flow of vehicles,” the chairperson said. Meanwhile, the metro authorities are yet to find a solution to the parking woes at Palarivattom, where the services would end initially. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had denied a request by the Kochi Metro authorities to lease out 78 cents of the former’s land at Palarivattom for the purpose of facilitating a parking yard upon starting the commercial operations. “The metro authorities said they would approach the government however we’re yet to get any further directions,” said a senior KSEB official. Though the exact date of launch of the commercial services is yet to be fixed, the function is now slated to be held in Aluva.
