DMRC to handle Kerala’s Light Metro project

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is all set to become Metro-equipped. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy approved Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as the implementing agency and gave administrative sanction for the proposed Light Metro project in Kozhikode and the state capital.

Speaking to reporters, Chandy said all issues over the project have been cleared and the state government will now write a fresh letter to the central government seeking the in-principle clearance for the project.

"The previous letter to the central government did not have clarity but now with the administrative sanction also given by the cabinet, all issues have been cleared, including handing over the project to be overseen by the DMRC," said Chandy.

The project is expected to ease the traffic in the busy capital city and Kozhikode.

'Metro Man' E. Sreedharan, advisor to DMRC, would be overseeing the project and 40 percent of the cost is expected to be shared equally by the state and central governments and the rest through loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with very low rates of interest.

Initially, Sreedharan had suggested for Mono Rail projects in these two cities and after starting the preliminary paper work for it, it was cancelled as doubts were raised about the financial viability.

He later suggested the Light Metro mode and it ran into problems after a section of the bureaucracy didn't appear very keen and it was only after numerous rounds of talks and a huge pressure from various political parties backing Sreedharan, the project got its final nod.

With inputs from IANS