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Kochi: Metroman Dr E Sreedharan ridiculed the government saying that if it could not implement the 'Light Metro' project in two cities for seven years how can it implement the K-Rail project. Even after many years, the government has not been able to make any progress on the Light Metro project.
The project is still in the same state as when the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) withdrew from it. Likewise, many approved projects are yet to be completed in Kerala. Also, the government is going ahead with K-Rail without conducting any necessary studies.
"The government is presenting augmented figures in the name of K-Rail. Any real road studies have not been done. The centre has only approved in principle the project. The stone was laid during the land acquisition. The alignment and plan have not been approved by the Railway Board yet. It is like looking at Google Maps and doing something,” he said.
If this project is done by K-Rail, it will take 20 years to complete. If an institution like the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is doing it, a minimum of 10 to 12 years will be needed for completion. He pointed out that even land acquisition would not be possible in five years.
The project cost is estimated at Rs 94,000 crore. If it takes 10 years to complete, it will be Rs 1,22,000 crore. If it takes 20 years, the amount will go up again. Sreedharan pointed out that in the current situation, Kerala cannot afford this project.
K-Rail and Metro are entirely two different projects. They cannot be compared together. The initiation of a detailed report of Metro started in 2004. Later in 2013, the construction work started.
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