Survey of High-speed Rail Corridor 60 pc Over.

Steps have been taken to speed up survey for the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore high-speed rail corridor project, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty told the Assembly recently.

Replying to a question by E Chandrasekharan, Kunhalikutty said that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has completed 60 per cent of the survey. DMRC has been entrusted with the job of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the multi-crore rail corridor initiative. The remaining survey had been hit following a public outcry. But the DMRC has now relaunched efforts to complete the survey and hand over the DPR to the state government, the Industries Minister said.

'Approximately 60 per cent of the survey has been completed. The DMRC is taking steps to submit the DPR by completing the rest of the survey which had been disrupted owing to the agitation,' Kunhalikutty said.

As per 2011 estimates, the stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod will cost Rs 1.2 lakh crore, the Minister said. So far, the state government has spent Rs 21.40 crore on various works related to the ambitious project.

The state government will take a final decision on the financial model to be followed for the light metro project for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode after studying the report submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju said.

In its report, the DMRC had underlined the practical problems in adopting the PPP model for the project. The Planning Board had earlier recommended a scrutiny of the various aspects of implementing the project with public-private involvement, the Minister said.

Land acquisition for the widening of the Mukkola-Karode stretch of the Kazhakkoottam-Karode bypass is in the final stage, PWD Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju told the Assembly on Thursday. The works on the Kazhakkoottam-Mukkola stretch is in the tendering stage, he said in a written reply. The bypass is being developed with Central funds.


THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS