The Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Association (TRURA) is set to stage a dharna here on June 7, the day when the Kochi Metro Rail construction work begins. The protest, organised seeking the extension of Metro Rail from Pettah to Tripunithura, will be inaugurated by P Rajeev MP.
According to TRURA members, the day will be observed as ‘Avakasha Dinam’ (Rights day). They added that though they have conducted several protests in the past in this regard, their demands have fallen on deaf ears. “We have discussed the matter with E Sreedharan, principle adviser, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. He has agreed with us that the extension of Metro Rail from Pettah to Tripunithura was necessary for the economic viability of the project. We were told that there must be a political decision in this regard. Though we have brought the issue before Union Minister K V Thomas and Excise Minister K Babu, who is also the local MLA, they have not shown much interest,” they said and added that the protest is organised on the day the metro work begins so as to garner the attention of the authorities.
“The extension of Metro Rail from Pettah to Tripunithura should be included in the first phase of the project. If Pettah is fixes as terminal point, people will have to depend on other transport services to reach Tripunithura. Moreover, Pettah being a thickly populated area, large scale eviction is needed to construct the terminal point. “There is a lack of space to construct a commercial centre, parking space and loco-centre there,” they said. The TRURA members added that the vacant land of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL), along with acres of unused paddy fields near the Tripunithura railway station, can be used for constructing a station.
“The close proximity to the railway station, the proposed municipal bus terminal and easy access to Seaport-Airport Road would be an added advantage for the extension of metro rail,” they noted.