THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The draft study report on the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) and alternate traffic analysis (ATS), prepared for deciding the type of metro system to be constructed at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, is ready and will be presented at the stakeholders’ meeting scheduled in the last week of June or early July. The study is being carried out by the Urban Mass Transit Company Limited (UMTC) as per the instructions of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), the project’s executing agency.
Sources said the file for the high-level meeting, likely to be chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is currently in the CM’s office. Once Vijayan returns to Kerala after the foreign trip, a date will be finalised for the meeting. It is likely to have all stakeholders, including the Transport Department, City Corporation, District Collectorate, Revenue Department, and Technopark authorities.
Meanwhile, the tender for the proposed flyover at Sreekaryam in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the project will open on June 21. The tender was called last month, and it was to be opened on May 29. However, it was extended to three weeks until June 19. The demolition of the buildings on either side of Sreekaryam junction for the flyover construction is almost finished, and it is ready for handing over to KMRL.
Sources close to KMRL said that the draft study report is ready and will be presented and discussed at the meeting. “If the stakeholders are convinced about the suggestions and findings in the report, then a final report will be submitted and presented later for the implementation of the projects in both cities. Currently, we are giving prominence to Thiruvananthapuram, and the recruitment has started. Similarly, an office will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram in the coming months if all things go well,” a source said.
Earlier, the UMTC had requested a one-month extension for submitting the report, which has led to the postponement of the meeting with project stakeholders.The final report from UMTC is crucial for finalising the type of metro system suitable for Thiruvananthapuram. Once the report is submitted, a meeting will be convened with elected representatives and officials to make the decision.
The KMRL is preparing for implementation, as the Centre has informed the state government that it prefers a single company to oversee metro projects in the state. Initially, the Union government had proposed a metrolite model instead of a light metro for the city.
However, the state government is hesitant about the metrolite model due to its lack of operational experience in the country, considering its implementation an experimental approach. Once the study report is submitted, a detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared and sent to the state government for approval. It will then be forwarded to the Centre, which serves as the sanctioning authority for metro rail projects.