KOCHI: Passengers endure a torrid time reaching the Ernakulam South railway station, one of the busiest in South India, with the premises and surrounding roads prone to waterlogging when it rains. While much of the issue boils down to shoddy station development work, the demand for a skywalk — which will connect the station to the nearby metro stop — has gathered steam.
“The skywalk was part of the original railway project. However, construction of the nearly Rs 300 crore structure was stalled, with a major proportion of the work pending. The contractor should be terminated and black-listed, We demand that the pending work be re-tendered after preparing a detailed estimate rate (DER).
Provision for the skywalk should be made within the scope of new development work; it’s a vital infrastructure to facilitate easy transit of commuters, and also to decongest the station premises. The same has already been mentioned in the draft comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) prepared by Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd (UMTC), on the direction of KMRL,” Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod told TNIE.
Earlier, Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Manish Thaplyal had pointed out that the national rail transporter is in favour of constructing the skywalk and that it is ready to exempt the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) on use of its land. A major hurdle, though, is funding, with the railways not keen to pitch in.
The KMRL, too, is yet to respond to the offer to implement the project. Meanwhile, offering a ray of hope, the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) said it is ready to “work in tandem” with other stakeholders to realise the development.
“We’re willing to work in tandem with other agencies to implement the project. We constructed the facilities at the eastern gate over two decades ago. We don’t have the funding, but do possess the expertise, thanks to our engineering team,” GCDA chairman K Chandran Pillai told TNIE.
GCDA authorities said they are open to talks with railways and KMRL over the project. They also hinted at the option of sponsorship to fund the project.
Long-pending demand
Passenger associations have been demanding the facility for some time now. “The skywalk should be constructed along with the ongoing development project. It will be especially helpful for those hauling luggage, besides the elderly. Further, it will help commuters save time and decongest the railway station premises. Such facilities already exist in stations like SMVT Bengaluru,” said Ramesh Mathew, a regular commuter.
Various resident associations have also voiced their call for the infrastructure facility at the station. “Skywalks at South and North railway stations have been a long-pending demand and we’ve written to the railway authorities multiple times, but to no avail,” said K J Paul Manvettom, president of the All Kerala Railway Users Association.
“We took up the issue with KMRL, who assured us that the facility will be built at Tripunithura railway station. Many passengers now alight at the station before proceeding to the city,” said V C Jayendran, convenor of Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Association.