Land acquisition for Kochi Metro Phase II extension to Kakkanad can be completed once the government allots fund for the same. As per the estimate, around Rs 105 crore is needed for acquiring land required for widening the road along Palarivattom-Infopark stretch through which the alignment of the Metro extension passes.
Additional amount will be required for acquiring land for the construction of Metro stations. “We have completed all procedures for acquiring land required for road widening. Once the government allots funds, we can start giving compensation to the landowners and takeover the holdings. All these processes can be completed within a month or so once the fund is allotted,” said a source with the revenue department.
The Kakkanad extension of Metro will cover 11.17km. The cost estimated for the project a few years ago was around Rs 2,400 crore. The chances of cost escalation are high. Roads will have to be widened to 22m along the Metro corridor. As per initial survey, at least 46 shops on the Palarivattom-Kakkanad stretch will have to be pulled down, while 275 shops will have to be partially demolished.
More than seven acres will have to be acquired for widening the road along the JLN Stadium-Kakkanad stretch. There will be 11 stations along the stretch. It is via Seaport-Airport Road that the Metro’s alignment goes to Infopark. At Chittettukara on Seaport-Airport Road, the alignment will take a sharp turn to the left via four-lane highway to reach Infopark.
Meanwhile, district collector Renu Raj held a meeting with the representatives of various government institutions, the holdings of which are to be taken over for the Metro extension. At the meeting on Thursday, the collector gave assurance to the representatives of various government departments and agencies that their concerns will be addressed. Though various government departments and institutions like Maharaja’s College had handed over their holdings for the Metro project earlier, no compensation was given to such parties.
Kerala Media Academy, children’s home and observation home are the government institutions that will lose land due to road widening prior to the Metro work. These institutions will send letter to the Metro authorities raising their demands while taking over holdings for the project.