KOCHI: The construction of the new garage of Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) near the Ernakulam depot will be completed within 45 days, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) managing director Tom Jose said here on Thursday. While briefing the media after a coordination meeting, Jose said that KMRL had already entrusted Kerala Roads and Bridges Development corporation (RBDCK) with the construction of the garage. “RBDCK is expected to complete the construction within 45 to 60 days at an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh. The construction of the garage will speed up the ongoing work of the Rail Overbridge (RoB) connecting Salim Rajan Road and Rajaji Road,” he said.Regarding the nod from the Union government for the Kochi metro rail, Jose said that KMRL had already submitted the required details for the preparation of Cabinet note with the Centre. “Now we are waiting for the Planning and Investment Board (PIB) meeting and the sanction from the Central Department of Expenditure. Once these procedures get over, the proposal will be presented before the Union Cabinet,” Jose added.Jose said that the metro project would be implemented in three phases. “We think that the feasible idea is to divide the project into three packages consisting of 7 kilometres to 8 kilometres. The classification will give opportunities for different contractors to undertake the work simultaneously,” he added.About the statement made by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E Sreedharan that the proposed Kochi metro is likely to use Korean technology, he said that the State government was the prime authority to take a decision on technology finalisation. “Shanghai Maglev and Japanese Maglev are the proven technologies in the world and Korean Maglev, which is still under testing, will be commissioned only in 2012. We will select an appropriate technology after conducting a techno-economic evaluation,” he added. Regarding the land acquisition for the metro rail project, he said that a plan for this would be ready in three to four days. “An Additional Deputy Collector has been entrusted with the preparation of the acquisition plan. We are expected to complete the entire land acquisition process within four to seven months time,” he added. He said that it had also been decided to provide parking space for all metro stations. “We are also planning to allocate a dedicated station to the Maharajah’s College. A meeting will be convened by the District Collector soon with the College principal and local MLA to discuss the land acquisition for the proposed station,” he said.
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