KOCHI: What will it take to revive the city’s much-awaited ‘Green Corridor’ project, which has been reduced to a weed-infested pathway? Varghese (name changed), who lives near the Ernakulam Town Railway station, believes that this year will provide the answers.
Kochi Corporation’s ‘Green Corridor’ project – a 12-metre wide, 2.5km-long stretch connecting Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction railway stations – remains a non-starter, notwithstanding that the detailed project report (DPR) was submitted in 2020. The project was to be implemented with a $1 million grant from the European Union’s Mobilise Your City (MYC) initiative, with the support of a French development agency. However, inadequate follow-up by the civic body has stalled its progress.
Mayor M Anilkumar has no definite answer on why there is no progress on the project. “The corporation is currently focused on Thammanam-Pullepady road widening, commissioning of its office at Marine Drive, Operation Breakthrough, etc,” said Anilkumar.
Police officers say the stretch identified for the corridor is now a den of antisocial activities and that the completion of the project will make the area free of drug dealings and other activities. “The inspection and survey by railway and corporation officials were carried out in the last couple of years, yet there is no indiction of the project taking off, says Varghese. “After it gets dark, the area becomes dangerous for passersby. There are no streetlights and a lot of illegal activities take place here,” he said, adding that just last week officers arrested a few drug peddlers from the area.
The project has been envisaged as a pedestrian-friendly walkway, where only electric autos and bicycles will be permitted to ply. By road, the two railway stations are 4.8km apart via MG Road and 4.4km through Chittoor Road.
“The project involves very limited land acquisition, with Indian Railways and Kochi Corporation in ownership of most of the stretch. Only 500-600 metres of land will need to be acquired from private par
ties,” said Dhanuraj, chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR). “Both the railway stations are undergoing renovation, and this corridor is required for easy accessibility between the two. The proposed stretch will also connect Kerala State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) bus stand and Metro stations and will help in decongesting MG Road and Banerjee Road,” he added.
Corp yet to approach us: Rly
The ‘Green Corridor’ project is completely a state project, a Southern Railways spokesperson said, when asked about the role of the railways in the ambitious project. According to the spokesperson, the railways is playing a facilitating role. “The planning, execution and even funding of the project are being handled by state government agencies, mainly the corporation,” said the spokesperson. “Only thing associated with the railway is the fact that the pathway passes through the railway yard boundary and also the railway yard. However, as to the progress of the project, the initiative has to come from the side of the corporation,” he said.
Regarding the handing over of land required for the pathway, the spokesperson said, “So far, only the land or the route of the pathway has been identified by the civic body. They have neither approached the railways regarding the handing over of the land nor has any piece of property belonging to the railways been provided to the civic body as of now.”
A boon for travellers
The ‘Green Corridor’ would be a blessing to commuters and passengers who depend on trains for travel. “Once such a corridor is constructed, people from Kaloor and other nearby places won’t have to travel a long distance to reach South station, which is the stop for many of the trains headed to Thiruvananthapuram, via Kottayam and Alappuzha,” said Liyons J, secretary, Friends on Rails.
“They can even make use of the pathway to reach the KSRTC bus stand if they are unable to catch a train,” he added. Right now, people have to walk on the tracks to reach the KSRTC bus stand, said Liyons. “The availability of such a corridor would come in very handy, especially at night,” he added.