THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Take steps to implement the Light Metro project urgently, V S Sivakumar MLA urged the state government.
The state government has done little to take the project forward despite the previous UDF government appointing the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) to prepare a comprehensive mobility plan for the ambitious project, he alleged. Although NATPAC had submitted its report, the project has not moved forward, he said.
The Mono-Rail Corporation was formed by the UDF government and the detailed project report prepared in 2015 was approved. In June 2015, the High Court also gave its nod for acquiring 10.11 hectares of land for constructing the yards at Pallipuram. The UDF government had also identified land for the construction of 22 metro stations and assigned the Revenue Department for taking over the land after payment of compensation, Sivakumar said.
Administrative sanction was given for the project on September 11, 2015, after the alignment and locations of the stations were approved. Subsequently, a project report was submitted to the Union Urban Affairs Ministry. The ministry had instructed the state government to prepare a comprehensive mobility plan.
The Light Metro line will start from Technocity and end at Karamana covering a distance of 22.53 km with 19 stations.