Metro: 1.7 ha land to be acquired

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The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) have nearly arrived at an agreement on the proposed widening of the Edapally-Aluva NH stretch, for which a total of 1.7 hectares of land would be acquired.

“Earlier the NHAI wanted 38 metres width on one side of the highway (two-lane) for allowing the setting up of metro pillars in the centre.

“But KMRL was insisting on 31 metres. In a meet held on Friday, both parties agreed to climb down and find a middle path. A draft pact is expected to be signed next week,” metro sources said.

The crucial development would pave the way for issuing 4 (1) notification for the tot­al land to be acquired for the metro project rather than in stretches. “Issuing the 4 (1) notification at one stretch is crucial for completing the land acquisition process by the target date of Dec­ember 31,” they said.

Meanwhile, a joint inspection of the proposed stations and parking areas was held on Saturday.
Collector P I Sheik Pareeth, KMRL MD Elias George and DMRC project director P Sriram were part of the team which conducted a field inspection for final approval of the project plan.