Title - ‘Metro extension will not delay project’

The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Director Board’s request to the State government to probe the possibility of extending the Kochi Metro Rail Project to areas in the suburbs will not affect the pace of work for the project, Board members have said.

The extensions to the international airport and Kakkanad have been proposed so that people from the suburbs too benefit from the 25-km-long project that would link Aluva with Pettah through M G Road.

Having received the Centre’s nod in July, the project is expected to be commissioned in 2016. The DMRC’s design had envisaged possible extensions to the project to the two places, apart from Tripunithura and West Kochi.

Notification awaited

Answering questions from the media here on Tuesday about the proposed extensions to the Kochi metro, the Chief Secretary K Jayakumar said that the new areas will be notified so that extending the rails there is easier.

“Our aim is to ready a blueprint for the possible extensions,” he said.

He added that the KMRL MD’s role will be redefined, especially as regards procurement.

As for the DPR, it will not be rewritten. Timely changes will be made to make optimal use of various aspects. The best of technology will be adopted for the project.

Care will be taken so that the metro rail will lead to the city’s aesthetic and functional regeneration.

The Delhi metro is an apt example. It also led to an improvement in other commuting modes in Delhi, Mr. Jayakumar said.

The KMRL’s managing director Elias George said that the agency wants the metro to be implemented as a modern, fourth-generation project. The DPR will be updated accordingly, he said.

Earlier, the Union Urban Development Secretary, who is also the KMRL’s chairman, Sudhir Krishna said that the proposed delegation of powers to the KMRL’s MD is aimed at ensuring the body’s efficiency.

Referring to the ‘revisit’ of the DPR submitted by the DMRC, he said that the aim is to ensure that the project utilizes the best technology available.

A committee chaired by Mr. George will go into this and also the issue of delegation of powers.

On the project not finding a place in the Emerging Kerala meet, Mr. Jayakumar said that the project has a well-informed Director Board that can take decisions.

He said that the Director Board will meet again in October.