Kochi: The maiden run of the ambitious Rs 1,500 crore Kochi Metro Rail will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Aluva on June 17. This was announced by the Chief Minister's office after the Prime Minister's office informed it of the availability of Mr Modi for the inauguration on the date, on Monday evening. The Kochi Metro is the fastest metro system built in the country when the commercial operation is commissioned in the 13-km long Aluva-Palarivattom section by the Prime Minister.
A high-level meet chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and attended by senior DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) and the KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Ltd) officials at Thiruvananthapuram had decided to start the commercial operation in June. The recent announcement by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran that Prime Minister may not inaugurate the Metro had stirred a hornet's nest following which the Chief Minister clarified that the PM will inaugurate the Metro.
