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irse
Forum Admin
India
553 Posts |
 Posted - 07/07/2008 : 04:35:32
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http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?
id=807070277&cat=&n_date=20080707
Thiruvananthapuram | Monday, Jul 7 2008
Kerala Sports and Youth Affairs Minister M Vijayakumar today told
State Assembly the total cost of the proposed Metro Rail at Kochi was
expected to be Rs 3,084 crore.
In a written reply to Mr Joseph M Puthuseerry of Kerala Congress (M)
and others, he said the State and the Centre would each invest 15 per
cent of the total cost and the remaining would be raised as loan from
the Japan Bank of International Corporation (JBIC) Stating the total
length of the Metro Rail would be 25.253 km, which would be
constructed between Aluva and Thripunithura, he said the Delhi Metro
Rail Corporation would be the implementing authority.
Work would start immediately after the government received the
approval from the Planning Commission and the Centre. The Minister
also said the government had urged the Centre for a High-Speed
Corridor connecting IT and Port cities in South India and the request
was under the consideration of the Union Government.
irse
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2008 : 20:03:58
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Metro termed apt for the city
Shop owners stand to gain from the project
KOCHI: The elevated light metro-rail mooted in Kochi is inevitable, considering the innumerable woes faced by commuters at present.
Apart from providing a world class transportation system to commuters, the system will ultimately lead to shops on either side of the rails benefiting from increased sales.
“The system will help bring thousands of customers to the doorstep of shops and commercial establishments in the city,” said P.C. Cyriac, former chairman of the Rubber Board and a retired civil service officer.
Kochi must confidently move ahead with the project, work on which has begun in most metros of the country. The project will also give a boost to real estate development alongside its alignment, he said and referred to the Hyderabad metro-rail that is three times the size of the Kochi project, as an example of public-private partnership that can well be emulated here. “The infrastructure firm that has taken up the project on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis has promised to pay a few hundred crores to the State government each year,” Mr. Cyriac said.
No alternative seen
Though some people have been opposing the project, none has been able to come up with an alternative suggestion to unwind Kochi’s maddening traffic snarls. As of now, widening the congested arterial roads beyond a certain width would be difficult, said K. Joseph Alexander, former Senior Town Planner of the State and former member secretary of the GCDA and Trivandrum Development Authority.
He said there is a need to substitute bikes, cars and buses with a system of mass rapid transport like the metro-rail. “The socio-economic and environmental benefits of metro-rail can never be measured in terms of money alone. In the absence of a comfortable mode of public transport, commercial streets on the western side of the city will have fewer number of customers as time passes. The unending snarls in the city have resulted in people going there just to make bulk purchase of jewels and garments.
“They depend on shops in their vicinity with ample parking space, for all other purchases. The central business district has slowly been shifting to the east because of traffic congestions in the west,” Mr Alexander said.
The metro-rail will not be an environmental disaster as has been projected by some people.
“The area between the metro-rail pillars can be landscaped as has been done in New Delhi. The government must begin work on creating ample parking space near metro stations and at corridors where people would shift from road transport to the metro-rail. Some of the private buses must be re-routed through more populous and developing areas, when work on the rails is on,” he suggested.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2008 : 19:49:47
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram
Policy decision on Kochi metro rail project sought
State delegation seeks Central funding for the project
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Planning Commission team to arrive on Sunday
Panel had suggested private participation
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar said here on Tuesday that the State had sought a policy decision by the Union government on Central funding for the Kochi metro rail project. A team of the Planning Commission would visit Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram on September 14 to study the issue.
The issue was raised by a six-member delegation led by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan which met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia in Delhi last week. The Minister said that the State wanted the project to be taken up with funding from the Central and State governments and the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. However, the Planning Commission suggested that it could be taken up on a public-private participation basis.
However, the delegation pointed out that this was not feasible in Kochi where land was scarce for large railway stations with commercial space. Hence, the commission’s decision to send a team to Kerala.
Mr. Vijayakumar proposed that the Thiruvananthapuram Bar Association and others who had joined the agitation for High Court Bench in Thiruvananthapuram should withdraw their satyagraha in front of the district court as the Prime Minister had entrusted the matter to the Law Ministry for an early decision. Earlier, the President had referred the communication from the Governor of Kerala favouring the Bench to the Law Ministry. The President could set up the Bench in consultation with the Governor and the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.
He said that the Prime Minister had also assured early clearance from the Shipping Ministry and the Cabinet Secretariat for the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Project. The security clearance for the project involved approvals from the External Affairs, Defence and Shipping ministries besides the Cabinet Secretariat.
Of these, the clearance of the External Affairs and Defence ministries had already been received.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2008 : 21:05:57
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Metro rail: officials to assess progress
Staff Reporter
Will meet the Chief Minister on Tuesday
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Report to be submitted to the Planning Commisssion
District administration has sought the constitution of a special team to acquire land
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KOCHI: A three-member team from the Planning Commission, which arrived in Kochi on Saturday evening to assess the proposed Kochi metro rail, is expected to submit a report to the Commission. The in-principle approval for the Central funding of the project will be based on this report.
The team comprising Gajendra Haldia, Principal Advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, S.K. Saha, Director, Secretariat for Committee on Infrastructure and Jitesh John, Senior Research Officer would meet the Chief Minister on Tuesday.
Joint venture
The Union Urban Development Ministry had proposed a joint venture between the Centre and State governments, with the rest of the money loaned from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. “Such a joint venture would ensure that passengers pay only a reasonable fare. The mass rapid transport system will get a good ridership only if fares are kept low,” Union Urban Development secretary M. Ramachandran told The Hindu.
Once the team submits the report, an inter-ministerial committee comprising representatives from the Planning Commission and ministries concerned like the Urban Development Ministry and the Finance Ministry will take a look before the Union Cabinet decides on the project, he said.
Currently, all metro rail projects in major cities, except Hyderabad metro rail and a corridor of Mumbai metro, are joint ventures between the Centre and the respective State government.
Work is underway for metro rail in Bangalore and Kolkata, while the Chennai waits for a nod from the Centre.
The Urban Development Ministry and the State government had recommended light-metro rail for Kochi, as it was difficult to widen the existing roads.
Survey stones laid
As of now, survey stones have been laid for acquiring land to widen narrow road corridors and to build metro stations every kilometre, except along the MG Road where some merchants have objected the project.
The Revenue Department has forwarded to the State government a preliminary notification for acquiring land under the urgency clause. The district administration has requested permission from the government to constitute a dedicated team of officials to acquire land for the project.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2008 : 11:08:46
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'Not keen on private participation in Kochi Metro'
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?
artid=0NmxNKWnBPA=&Title=Not+keen+on+private+participation+in+Kochi+M
etro&SectionID=1ZkF/jmWuSA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=X7
s7i%7CxOZ5Y=&SEO=
24 Sep 2008 03:59:00 AM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government is not interested in
allowing private participation in the Kochi Metro Rail project,
Chief Minister V. S .Achuthanandan said on Tuesday. Rather, the
government preferred to implement the project on the model of the
Delhi Metro Rail, he said.
He was talking to reporters here after meeting Gajendra Haldea,
principal advisor to the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.
Haldea had inspected the proposed alignment of the metro rail at
Kochi on Monday.
Haldea had said on Monday that ultimately it was for the State
Government to decide whether to adopt the PPP model or the public
sector model for implementing the project. In the PPP model, there
were no disadvantages to the state and the people.
The Centre will subsidise the project cost upto 20 percent if PPP
model is adopted.
If undertaken in the public sector alone, the assistance would be a
combination of grant and loan.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2008 : 11:12:54
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Kochi Metro: Land acquisition notice issued Topic List < Prev Topic | Next Topic >
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http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?
artid=OPBnOue4MfA=&Title=Kochi+Metro:+Land+acquisition+notice+issued&
SectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&MainSectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&SEO=DLPC&SectionNam
e=gUhH3Holuas=
24 Sep 2008 04:03:00 AM IST
KOCHI: The district administration on Tuesday issued 4(1)
notification for acquiring land for the Kochi Metro Rail project
after getting approval from the state government.
The notification was issued in six villages - Aluva West,
Thrikkakkara North, Edappally North and South, Punithura and
Elamkulam.
The 4(1) notification in Ernakulam village had issued earlier.
"The land and buildings of around 600 owners need to be acquired
from seven villages and the land acquisition work has been started.
Over 25 families will be displaced as part of the acquisition. The
total land identified for the project is 16 hectare," said the
Revenue officials.
"The land will be acquired under the fast track scheme.
The land and building value will be given according to the decision
of the District-Level Purchase Committee (DLPC).
If anybody opposed to the DLPC rate, their land will be acquired
under the Land Acquisition Act,"the officials said.
The Revenue officials said that the district administration had
submitted a proposal to the state government for setting up a
special office for the land acquisition work.
More deputy collectors and special tahasildars would be needed for
the work, they said.
"We are anticipating that the government will soon grant more funds
for providing compensation to the land owners. But, the government
has not given any reply for setting up the special office," the
officials said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2008 : 21:11:35
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Kerala expects an early decision on Kochi Metro http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=812190678&cat=&n_date=20081219
Thiruvananthapuram | Friday, Dec 19 2008
Kerala Sports and Youth Affairs Minister M Vijayakumar today expressed the hope
that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would soon take a favourable decision on the
proposed Metro Rail project in Kochi.
Talking to reporters here, he said the Planning Commission had raised certain
objections to the project insisting that it could be implemented only through
Public-Private-Participation (PPP).
Stating that the state government was not opposed to implementing the project
under PPP, he said Metro Rail was not suitable for Kochi as it required a lot of
space for commercial purpose.
Mr Vijayakumar said he along with Chief Minister V S Achuthandan and Leader of
the Opposition in the State Assembly Oommen Chandy had met the Prime Minister
and submitted a detailed memorandum in this regard.
Mr Vijayakumar, who is also in the charge of Railways, said though the Planning
Commission had recommended a viability gap fund for the project, it was not
acceptable to the government. He said the state government wanted to implement
the project on the lines of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. However, the
Planning Commission had not accepted the proposal, he added.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2008 : 01:39:53
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Centre's stand on Kochi Metro objectionable: Minister
http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=812270482&cat=&n_date=20081227
Thiruvananthapuram | Saturday, Dec 27 2008
Kerala Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Vijayakumar today described
''quite objectionable'' the attitude of the Union Government in not taking a
favourable decision on the Metro Rail project in Kochi and a bench of the High
Court here.
Pointing out that Kochi is a fast developing city, he said the state's demand
was to implement the metro project on the model of the Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation as a joint venture by the state and the Centre.
Stating that the Union Urban Development Ministry had supported the state's
demand in this regard, he said the Centre was not giving its approval for the
project citing the Planning Commission's objections.
Even though the government had submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister
along with the Opposition Leader, the Centre is closing its eyes to the common
demand of the state, he alleged in a statement here.
Mr Vijayakumar urged the Union Ministers from the state to take necessary steps
in this regard.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2009 : 18:36:47
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PALAKKAD: Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony has said that the Kochi Metro Rail project is a dream project of Kerala and whatever possible help to get sanction for it will be taken. Speaking to mediapersons at the foundations-laying ceremony of a BEML Ltd. project at Kanjikode , Mr. Antony said the Planning Commission and others concerned would be consulted.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the Central government should sanction the Kochi Metro Rail project as a public sector project. But the Planning Commission wanted to take it up as a joint venture under BOT. The government had sought the Prime Minister’s intervention to get sanction for a public sector venture.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2009 : 18:41:07
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State sanctions Rs. 50 lakh for office
Revision of the project cost sought
KOCHI: An office of the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) will
be opened in Kochi as suggested by the corporation.
The State government has sanctioned Rs. 50 lakh for setting up the
office and the groundwork for the project will be initiated soon,
said M. Vijayakumar, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
The office will be run by the officials of the DMRC.
The State government is hopeful that the Prime Minister would
consider the Kochi project as a special case as requested by the
State. The Planning Commission had suggested that the Kochi project
should be implemented in the Private Public Participation (PPP)
mode. However, there are apprehensions that the PPP model may not be
commercially viable for Kochi, Mr. Vijayakumar said.
The government is of the view that the Kochi Metro project should be
implemented along the lines of the Delhi project and this view was
presented by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayakumar
during a recent meeting with the Prime Minister.
"Only the Prime Minister can overrule the directives of the Planning
Commission and we are hopeful that he will intervene on behalf of
the State. The Prime Minister has not rejected the request so far
and we hope that the State's plea is still under his consideration",
Mr. Vijayakumar said.
The Bharat Earth Movers Limited which has been constructing the
coaches for the DRMC for its metro railway projects, will soon set
up a unit at Kanjikode. The fact that BEML is setting shop in Kerala
will also prove helpful for the case of the State, he hoped.
Mr. Vijayakumar said there was no need for updating the detailed
project report of the Kochi project.
However, the cost needs to be revised as the estimate was prepared
considering the cost factors that prevailed last year, he said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2009 : 08:08:06
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Metro rail about to take off
Envisaged as the final solution to Kochi’s traffic woes, the Metro Rail Project has been in the news for the last 10 years.
Putting an end to the confusion, the State Government decided to go ahead with the project and allotted Rs 50 lakh to set up a project office in Kochi two weeks ago.
It was decided that the project would be a joint venture of the Central and the State Governments.
However, the Planning Commission has now asked the state to implement the Kochi Metro Rail project as a public-private partnership.
The ground work for the Rs 3,084 cr project started in 2005. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), consultants of the project, submitted a detailed project report in 2008. According to the final alignment, the metro rail would be from Aluva to Tripunithura-Petta for a 26-km stretch with 24 stations.
As per the alignment, some stations will be at Jacobite Church, Kalamassery,Pathadi Palam, Edappally Junction, Edappally, Palarivattom, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor, Lissie, Madhav Pharmacy Junction, Maharaja’s College,Ernakulam South Station, GCDA, Fatima Church, Elamkulam, Vyttila, Thaikoodamand and Petta.
The project, which is expected to ease traffic congestion in Kochi, faced wide opposition from the shoppers’ community on MG Road as they feared the
construction work on MG Road would affect their business.
T K Baby, tahsildar in charge of the Metro Rail Project, said that the earmarking of areas for setting up the railway stations had already begun.
The entire work in this regard will be completed within two months, he said. “As per the government decision, an office will be set up in Kochi for the project within a month," said K Gopinathan, liaison officer for the project.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2009 : 02:16:21
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VS: no private partnership in metro http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/04/stories/2009020454110400.htm
New Delhi: The upcoming metro rail project in Kochi will be on the
lines of the one in Delhi but sans private partnership, Chief Minister
V.S. Achuthanandan has said. Mr. Achuthanandan held a meeting with
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chairman E. Sreedharan here on
Tuesday. "I discussed with Sreedharan the details of the metro rail
proposal for Kochi. As per our plans, the project will be in
partnership between the Kerala government and the Central government,
without any private partnership," Mr. Achuthanandan told presspersons
here.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2009 : 18:27:47
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Kerala to begin suburban train services in Malabar region
http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?
id=903020112&cat=&n_date=20090302
Thiruvananthapuram | Monday, Mar 2 2009
Kerala Sports and Youth Affairs Minister M Vijayakumar told the state
Assembly today that the government was seriously considering to begin
suburban trains for the rail development of the Malabar region.
Replying to questions by Ms K K Shylaja Teacher (CPI-M) and others,
he said the governmet had already received a feasibility report from
the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the proposed suburban train
service connecting the stations between Kochi and Kannur.
The government was going through the report and hope that the project
would be materialised soon, he said, adding, it would be implemented
jointly by the state government and the Metro Rail Corporation.
Alleging that the Railway Budget had neglected the state, Mr
Vijayakumar, who is also holding the portfolio of Railways, said the
government would constitute a Railway Development Corporation, with
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chairman as its advisor, for the overall
rail development of the state.
The government would also welcome private investors as the partners
in the corporation.
Stating that the allotment of railways would be based on population,
he said the state had received only one per cent against the four per
cent required for the development of the railways in the state.
Suggesting that a Peninsular Zone was required for the basic
development of the railways in the state, the Minister said now the
development would end at Chennai and there was no place for the
state. The situation should be changed and the state should get its
due consideration, he added.
Mr Vijayakumar expressed the hope that the Kochi Metro Rail would be
materialised soon as the Prime Minister Manmoahan Singh had given an
assurance in this regard, though the Planning Commission had put a
negative statement on the project.
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irse
Forum Admin
India
553 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2009 : 00:22:15
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Kochi : Metro Rail comes closer
http://www.expressb uzz.com/edition/ story.aspx? Title=Metro+ Rail+comes+ closer&artid= ubozTWYVLns= &SectionID= 9R67TMeNb/ w=&MainSectionID =9R67TMeNb/ w=&SEO=V+ S+Achuthanandan& SectionName= gUhH3Holuas=
18 Mar 2009 04:21:49 AM IST
KOCHI: The Metro Rail has come a little closer to Kochi. Pushing the Kochi Metro Rail project one step ahead, the Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has forwarded the proposal to the Union Cabinet for final approval. However, the objection of the Planning Commission to executing the project on the lines of the Delhi Metro Rail is still pending.
Urban Development Ministry secretary M Ramachandran told ‘Expresso’ that the decision to forward the project for final approval was taken after talks with the officials of the Prime Minister’s Office. The Union Cabinet will take the final decision after considering the recommendations of the Planning Commission and the Ministry.
The MoUD has already given its approval for the project and it was referred to the Union Cabinet following stiff resistance from the Planning Commission. The project gained momentum with the State Government giving approval for starting an office in Kochi and setting aside Rs 50 lakh for the purpose.
Sources from the Kochi Metro Rail project said that the appointment of staff for the office has started. If all the hurdles are cleared the office will start functioning within four weeks.
And once the project gets the go ahead from the Union Government, it will be completed in four years. It is learnt that the Union Urban Ministry has recommended implementation of the project on lines followed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) which was opposed by the Planning Commission.
The DMRC implemented the Delhi Metro project with 15 percent funds each from the Union Government and the State Government.
The remaining funds were mobilised by the DMRC itself.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who visited the Prime Minister recently, made it clear that the project would not be implemented with private partnership. The Planning Commission objected to the funding of the project and said that if the state could find the resources, it could take up the project.
And it was made clear that the Union Government could not fund the project in the 11th Five Year Plan.
irse |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2009 : 08:21:40
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Renewed hope for Metro Rail
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Renewed+hope+for+Metro+Rail&artid=TtrDduNXyDY=&SectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&MainSectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&SEO=Kochi+Metro+Rail,+PPP,+Delhi+Metro+Rail&SectionName=gUhH3Holuas=
23 May 2009 11:24:00 PM IST
KOCHI: The initiative of the State Government to make the Kochi Metro Rail a reality has given a new hope for Kochiites.
The Cabinet on Friday decided to approach the Union Government to avail of loan
from the Japanese International Cooperative Agency for starting the work of the
Metro Rail. The ball is again in the court of the Central Planning Commission
who has to take a final decision on the request of the State Government to avail
the loan.
The Union Government is likely to forward the request to the Planning Commission to study the issue before going in for a negotiation with the Japanese Agency.
Earlier, the Planning Commission had raised objection to the project citing reasons that it is not viable.
The State Government has started an office in the city for initiating
preliminary work. Following the request from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation the State Government had allotted Rs 50 crore for setting up the office here.
The approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is still pending and the land acquisition process can be started only after getting the approval.
The project can be materialised only after overcoming several hurdles.
The State Government had wanted to start the project as a joint venture between the State Government and the Union Government while the Centre suggested that the project be started on PPP basis. The issue has been resolved with the Union Government agreeing for a joint venture. The land to be acquired from Aluva to Pettah in Tripunithura was demarcated months ago but the survey on MG Road could
not be completed due to protests from merchants.
Once the project gets the go ahead nod from the Union Government it will be completed in four years.
According to a study conducted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in 2005, there will be 13,000 passengers towards a single direction by 2010. This would go up to 24,000 by 2025, and only the Metro Rail envisaged for Kochi can meet this demand.
Sat May 23, 2009 10:46 am
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2009 : 01:27:32
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http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/07/stories/2009060761100500.htm
KOCHI: Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food, and Civil Supplies, K.V.Thomas, has expressed confidence in clearing all hurdles hampering the progress of the proposed Kochi metro rail project and making it a reality.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function held here on Saturday, Mr.Thomas said he had already held discussions with the Union Urban Development Secretary regarding the project. The file regarding the project was now before the Union Cabinet. The minister expected a decision in favour of the State on the project. Mons Joseph, the Minister for PWD, who accompanied Mr. Thomas, said
approach towards Kerala.
He said efforts would be made to meet the Union Minister for Road Transport Kamal Nath to present the State’s case on the issue.
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Kochin Metro
