Clearing the decks for the Light Metro project aimed at improving the commuting facilities in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram cities, the government has granted administrative sanction for the detailed project report and opted for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as the executing agency. The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to seek in-principle approval from the Centre for the project. Briefing the media about the meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the government would submit a fresh letter to the Centre seeking clearance for the project.
“The implementation will be taken up after the Union government approves the proposal,” Mr. Chandy said, adding that the Light Metro project would be based on the Kochi metro currently under implementation.
“The same system would be adopted for implementation with the DMRC overseeing the implementation.”
The Light Metro project was conceived after the initial proposal for a monorail system in the two cities was dropped, citing problems about financial viability.
Several hiccups
The government decision to grant administrative sanction comes after a series of hiccups, including the resistance to the project from a section of officials.
Giving in to pressure from various organisations, the government had held several rounds of discussions at different levels to clear the hurdles.
This article appeared in The Hindu.