KOCHI: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will finalise the new updated Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), a long-term vision for desirable mobility patterns in Kochi city, in three months before submitting the same for the consideration of state and Union governments.
The agency has started collecting feedback and suggestions on the draft CMP from all segments of the community, including people’s representatives, political executives, various government bodies, leading city development organisations, business community and the public. The first of such exercises to collect feedback from various stakeholders was held on Tuesday.
“The draft CMP has been uploaded on our website. The public and stakeholders are invited to go through the same and give suggestions and feedback in the next one month by messaging to contact@kmrl.co.in in the next one month,” said KMRL MD Loknath Behera.
The deliberations held on Tuesday at Town Hall was attended by Industries Minister P Rajeeve, Mayor M Anilkumar, MLAs T J Vinodh, K Babu, K J Maxi, K N Unnikrishnan, Anwar Sadath, Uma Thomas, collector NSK Umesh, councillors, panchayat presidents, officials from various government agencies, and residents associations among others.
“The CMP mainly accounts for futuristic development needs, say the next 30 years, and is very much required for the development of a high-growth potential city like Kochi. Projects worth Rs 20,000 crore, including short-term, medium-term and long-term measures are being mooted. A much-needed short-term measure is to implement metro extension to the airport and then to the GIFT City, coming up in Angamaly,” said P Rajeeve.
The mayor requested that a presentation of the draft CMP should be made before the corporation council and the suggestions of the councillors taken.
MLA Maxi rued that the West Kochi natives are currently not getting the advantage of the modern transport system and sought extension of the metro to the region. K Babu MLA called for extension of the Metro to Infopark from Tripunithura. T J Vinod MLA highlighted the need for bus route rationalisation to be taken up urgently along with activities such as expanding public transportation services, junction improvements and canal widening.
MLA Unnikrishnan urged the authorities to take steps to enhance transportation facilities and road widening in coastal regions like Vypeen.
Uma calls for devpt of key roads
Uma Thomas MLA called for the development of key arterial roads to decongest Kochi-Kakkanad road section in the preparatory works of Kochi metro as part of implementing the 11.2 km phase 2 project from Palarivattom to Infopark