Nod for second phase of Kochi Metro

The Director Board of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) on Tuesday gave its in-principle nod for the second phase of the proposed Kochi Metro Rail project. A final ratification on this will have to come from the state government.

Considering the huge development that the suburbs of the city will witness in the next five years, the board has also asked the govt to revisit the notification made in 1995, regarding the coverage area of the metro rail.

The first director board meeting of the reconstituted KMRL also decided to form  two subcommittees to speed up the implementation of the project.

The first phase will cover 25 km from Aluva to Petta. In the second phase, the project will be extended from Aluva to Nedumbassery, from Palarivattom to Infopark and from Petta to Tripunithura.

“We have asked the state government to revisit the total area that the project will cover, so as to extend the project to other areas near the city, which are developing fast. This is a future-oriented move and if we need to extend the project in the second phase, we will have to identify the places and notify them soon,” said Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna.

On the delay in inking pact with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on the implementation of the project, Chief Secretary K Jayakumar said the agreement is only a secondary thing and the preliminary works for the project will be launched soon by the DMRC under the guidance of E Sreedharan, chief adviser of the project.

Jayakumar also said that a meeting will be held with Sreedharan on Thursday, after the Prime Minister lays the foundation stone for the project.

Among the subcommittees, the first one headed by DMRC (Works) Director Jitendra Tyagi will look into the possibilities of modernising the detailed project report prepared in 2005.

“The metro rail technology has seen rapid changes in the last seven years. The subcommittee will look into updating the DPR by including it with the latest technology,” Sudhir Krishna added.

The second subcommittee will finalise the responsibilities of the board of directors, including the MD.