Union Ministe K V Thomas on Tuesday requested the Railways to provide land for Kochi metro rail on fair price or on lease. He also submitted a memorandum in this regard to Railways Minister Mallikarjun Kharge.
Thomas requested the minister to allot land for metro on the same criteria that was applied by the railways in allotting land for the rail coach factory in Bihar.
He said the Railway Minister has agreed to hold discussions with representatives of the state government, KMRL and Railways in this regard. The meeting will be held in two weeks’ timeA total of 11,500 sqm land owned by the Railways at Ernakulam South railway station and Muttam Kalamassery railway station area is needed for the project.
As per a Railway circular, the KMRL should give 99 per cent of the market value of the land and lease amount for 35 years. “This will be a huge financial burden on KMRL. Hence, we have requested the Railways to provide the land on a fair value,” he added.