Kerala - Kochi   

Metro rail: 26 ha to be acquired

KOCHI: Approximately 26 hectares of land, the value of which was fixed at Rs. 210 crores in 2005, will have to be acquired for the elevated light metro rail project proposed to streamline traffic in Kochi.

Of this, 16 hectares is private land. According to the project report submitted in July 2005, a good share of the land will be used for building stations in each kilometre. The project will connect Aluva with Pettah near Thripunithura.

Land will also have to be acquired in many narrow stretches, especially the Vytilla-Pettah and the Jos Junction-Ernakulam South railway station portions.

District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said that officials of the Revenue Department and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, who will oversee the execution of the project, would inspect the project’s alignment later this month.

This would be followed by a notification issued by the special tahsildar (land acquisition) who heads the team that is in charge of acquiring land. The Urban Development Ministry recently gave the go-ahead for the venture that will provide respite to Kochiites from maddening traffic snarls.

The metro-rail alignment passes alongside the overbridges in Ernakulam North and South. This will necessitate acquisition of land and demolition of some structures built illegally on the side of the Ernakulam North bridge. The alignment will not affect construction of flyovers proposed for the city. A construction depot has been proposed in land owned by the KSEB, off Vytilla junction.

The Corporation has not permitted two textile shops to construct buildings on their land that has been earmarked to house stations for the project, despite the shops approaching the court. Under Section 17 of the Land Acquisition Act, the District Collector can take advance possession of any land to be acquired, after paying 80 per cent of the compensation. The urgency clause in the Act permits the RDO to issue a warrant to acquire land, if needed, with police protection.

Sources said that matters can be finalised only after the DMRC and Revenue officials conduct a detailed survey of the alignment.

There is increasing demand to extend the metro-rail to Thripunithura, which is facing snarls worse than the city.

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