After a long delay, the board of Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Limited (KRTL) has given approval for the supplement to Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the proposed light metro project from Pallipuram to Karamana. The board, chaired on October 19, has also given approval to the technical report for construction of an arm of light metro to Technopark.
With the board approval, the KRTL will soon send the DPR to the union government for approval. It will also start preparation of DPR for the Technopark arm of the light metro project. Various Technopark-based organisations, including the Group of Technology Companies, had requested to include Technopark too into the alignment, following which the board had appointed Gurgaon-based Urban Mass Transit Company Limited to check the feasibility.
Sources said that the KRTL is planning a new arm from Kazhakoottam covering all three phases of Technopark. This 5-km branch will also include a changeover station at between Kazhakoottam and Karyavattom. The study has proposed a daily ridership of 31,000. Since this is an assured ridership, the KRTL is planning to get the DPR ready by the time the Karamana-Pallippuram stretch gets the necessary approval.
In order to avoid hassles of land acquisition, the KRTL might consider alignment through the Technopark land or parallel to the national highway. It is also mulling possibility of construction of metro pillars over the Thettiyar stream which runs through the Technopark campus.
The supplement to DPR was proposed considering the change in union government policy to make the project economically viable by including components like value capture finance and transit oriented development. As per this, a 2 % hike in stamp duty has been proposed for sale of properties within 500 metres on either sides of the alignment. Proposal to increase floor area ration to 4 has been included to increase the built up area along the alignment.
Jisha Surya is a media professional with over a decade of experience in various media houses including The New Indian Express and Times of India. She covers city infrastructure, social issues, and lifestyle stories.
This could be extended to Lulu mall, Airport etc too so that more people can use it