Title - Kochi : E.Sreedharan will head project, reaffirms Chandy

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that all apprehensions about the execution of the Kochi Metro rail project are baseless.

Former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chief E. Sreedharan would head the project and complete it on time, he said, while inaugurating a three-day Infrastructure Conference 2012 here on Thursday. He said the government was in the process of finding out the areas where flyovers were essential. Four places have been identified in the city where flyovers will be built on a pilot basis.

Addressing the infrastructure meet S. Sarma, MLA, demanded that a coastal connectivity road to Vallarpadam container terminal be set up. He said the expected exemption to the terminal from cabotage laws had not been received, but hoped that it would be received soon.

P.J. Joseph, Minister for Water Resources, in his speech, underlined the need for a north-south road in the State. Four-lane traffic was essential in the wake of rapid rise in the number of vehicles, he said. “World Bank has provided funds for metro rail projects in Seychelles and some South American countries. The promoters of metro rail projects are free to approach the funding body,” said Simon Ellis, Team Leader of the World Bank’s Kerala State Transport Project.

He was responding to questions from the media on the sidelines of the conference. Mr. Simon said the question would have to be answered by the decision making forum of the organisation.

He said the World Bank would support the second phase of Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), to be completed in the next five years. A 360 km-stretch of road would come under the project.

Arnab Bandyopadhyay, Senior Transport Engineer, World Bank, said the funding under the second phase of KSTP would pertain to various categories including management assistance and long-term infrastructure improvement.