THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first stakeholders meeting on the proposed metro rail project in Thiruvananthapuram is all set to be held at 4 PM at Mascot Hotel on July 29.
The meeting was earlier scheduled for Thursday. It was postponed in the wake of the demise of former chief minister Oommen Chandy. The meeting will be an open-door one so that the well-wishers of the project can also participate in it.
Sources close to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), the implementing agency of the project, said the meeting is being held to discuss only the metro proposed in Thiruvananthapuram as the draft study report of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the same is ready.
“The agenda of the meeting is about the CMP draft report. It will emphasise the give and take of suggestions from various stakeholders to ensure the metro in the capital would be a reality soon. The stakeholders can suggest the alignment, suitable metro model and the possibility of an underground metro system. All these will be discussed and it is an open-door meeting,” a source said.
The CMP draft report of Urban Mass Transit Company Limited (UMTC) has reportedly suggested some major changes in the alignment of the project.
It said the alignment should be changed in accordance with the developments that have taken place in the city in the past two years. The upcoming Vizhinjam port, Lulu Mall, and the three phases of Technopark cannot be avoided in the alignment if the metro is implemented here in the future, the report said.
The meeting will also discuss these suggestions to get clarity on the project.
A final report will be submitted based on the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting next month. All stakeholders, including the transport department, city corporation, district collectorate, revenue department, and Technopark authorities, are likely to participate in the meeting.
The KMRL stepped in to implement the project as the Centre had informed the state that it prefers a single company to oversee all the metro projects in the state.
Meanwhile, the UMTC had earlier requested a one-month extension for submitting the report which led to the postponement of the meeting with the project stakeholders.
The final report from UMTC is crucial for finalising the type of metro system suitable for Thiruvananthapuram.