KOCHI: As environmentalists and various political outfits have intensified their protests against Kochi Metro replacing micro gardens with concrete paver tiles on medians along the metro corridor, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has cited high maintenance cost - amounting to Rs 8 crore per annum - for not retaining the green spaces.
“There are 400 median stretches along the Aluva-Tripunithura metro corridor and only 60 of them have sponsorships. Some of the sponsors are no longer in the picture, though their advertisement are still visible, for instance on the Banerjee Road stretch,” a senior KMRL official said.
According to him, a sum of Rs 25,000 is needed every month to maintain a single stretch of garden.
“It costs around Rs 2.5 crore annually to maintain a single stretch. The total annual maintenance cost adds up to Rs 8 crore. Taking out the stretches with sponsors, it will still cost us Rs 6-6.5 crore for garden maintenance,” the official said.
KMRL recently issued a tender for median beautification by laying concrete paver tiles in the stretch between Edappally and SN Junction. The work includes the laying of 60 mm thick concrete paver tiles over a 50 mm bed of 6 mm aggregates. “The licensee shall do the levelling, filling and compacting of the medians, laying of paver tiles and shall install MS railing in all the medians,” the tender document read.
However, various environmental organisations have come out in the open against the move, saying that it is in complete violation of “promises” initially made to set up gardens along the medians and maintain them.
“During discussions with environmental activists when trees were cut for metro rail construction from Aluva to Pettah, the then metro authorities promised to plant flowering plants to beautify the medians. The authorities should step back from the move and take steps to fill the medians with plants and greenery,” a joint statement said.
Meanwhile, the official said KMRL is open to entrusting maintenance of the gardens with the District Agri-Horticulture Society, as suggested by Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod.
The latter, in a letter addressed to KMRL managing director Loknath Behera, demanded that the metro agency withdraw from the move to lay concrete paver tiles. “...if needed the KMRL can avail the help of the District Agri-Horticulture Society and set up the gardens,” the letter read.
Kochi Metro initially set up green spaces in the medians beneath its viaducts and also grew vertical gardens at stations. However, the gardens dried out due to non-maintenance in stretches where there were no sponsors.
