THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) set to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Thiruvananthapuram Metro after completing its technical review, the government is poised to take the final call on the project’s alignment.
Even before the submission of the finalised DPR, MP Shashi Tharoor has urged Chief Minister V D Satheesan to consider underground construction along the city’s most congested stretches and ensure wider public consultation before the alignment receives final approval.
According to KMRL officials, the DPR is currently undergoing a detailed technical evaluation before being submitted to the government. “The technical evaluation of the DPR is under way. A team is reviewing the technical aspects to make the document foolproof before it is submitted to the government,” said a senior KMRL official.
Recently, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had submitted the DPR to KMRL proposing a fully elevated metro corridor for the 31-km project, which received the previous government’s approval in principle.
The proposal for a completely elevated corridor has sparked demands from various quarters for underground sections through some of the city’s busiest areas to minimise traffic disruption, reduce land acquisition and preserve the urban landscape.
Tharoor has urged the government to construct the metro sections underground in densely built up areas in key corridors – Karamana and Ulloor and Kazhakkoottam and Akkulam. He pointed out that underground construction would enable better integration of the metro with important urban centres such as Technopark, M G Road and the Government Medical College while preserving the city’s urban fabric.
In a letter to the chief minister, Tharoor said the metro is urgently needed to decongest the city and has suggested that the government announce a comprehensive metro network covering future extensions to Technocity, Vizhinjam International Seaport and the eastern parts of the city over the next five to eight years, with a last-mile connectivity plan.
Key stations
Pappanamcode, Kaimanam, Karamana, Killipalam, Junction, Thampanoor, Secretariat, Palayam, Palamoodu, Pattom, Murinjapalam, Medical College, Ulloor, Pongummoodu, Sreekaryam, Pangappara, Gurumandiram, Karyavattom, Technopark Phase-I (Interchange Station), Technopark Phase-III, Kulathoor, Technopark Phase-II, Akkulam Lake, Kochuveli, Veli, Chacka, Airport, Enchakkal (Terminal).