Title - Forty acres for Kochi Metro rail project by January 31

KOCHI: In a move to quickly complete the land acquisition process for the Kochi Metro rail project, the revenue department has promised to hand over 40 acres of land for the Muttam yard to Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) by January 31. A meeting of revenue officials held in Kochi on Tuesday has decided to hold the meeting of district level purchase committee (DLPC) by January 15.

The land for railway stations from Aluva to Edappally and for the widening of the national highway stretch will also be handed over to KMRL. "At the review meeting held on Tuesday, we have given instructions to revenue officials to ensure that the land is handed over to KMRL by January 31. The acquisition for preparatory works will also be completed soon," said district collector P I Sheik Pareeth. "The land value will be fixed after negotiating with land owners at the DLPC meeting. We have already taken measures to see that the government disburses the amount given as compensation for land owners," he said. The DMRC is learnt to have completed the alignment of all the 23 stations from Aluva to Petta.The land acquisition process for the remaining stations as well as the Metro village at Muttam will also begin soon. For setting up the Metro village, around 195 acres land will have to be acquired.
The state government has given Rs 25 crore for acquiring land for the preparatory works on MG Road and Banerjee Road. "We will hand over Rs 25 crore received from the state government soon," said Mohandas Pillai, deputy collector. "For completing the land acquisition for preparatory works, we will need around Rs 30 crore more," he added.