KOCHI: The civil work of the Thykoodam to Pettah stretch of the Kochi Metro Rail project will be launched before the first half of this year. The Revenue Department had already acquired the necessary land for the widening of the existing road. The demolition process of the buildings in the acquired land has already begun and KMRL is hopeful of handing over the necessary land for the construction to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) within a couple of months.
According to a DMRC officer, the contractors of the Thykoodam-Pettah stretch - Cheriyan Varkey Constructions - will launch the works as soon as the land is handed over to them. “ We have been informed that KMRL had already launched road widening works. Once the entire land is handed over to DMRC, the work will be launched without any further delay,” added the officer.
Another major hurdle in beginning the civil works on the stretch is the reconstruction of the Chambakkara bridge. However, with the land acquisition being completed, the DMRC is hopeful of completing the reconstruction by mid-2019. The reconstructed bridge will be 310 metres in length and 8.5 metres in width. The new bridge will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 33.66 crore and will facilitate a four-lane traffic instead of the existing two-lane bridge. The construction of the metro viaduct in the region will also be carried out along with the construction of the bridge.
Mary Matha Constructions, the contractors, had already started the work of the bridge, which is expected to be completed within 18 months. Buildings on the acquired land, including the fish stalls in Chambakkara market, will be demolished.
The delay in the land acquisition was one of the main reasons for the delay in launching the civil works on the Vyttila-Pettah stretch. The Revenue Department, after various rounds of negotiations and proper rehabilitation plan, has succeeded in handing over the land from Vyttila to Thykoodam. The DMRC is hopeful of commissioning the project up to Thykoodam in 2019.