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Last Updated Friday December 11 2020 10:20 AM IST

Metro must reach all residential and commercial centers of Kochi, says E Sreedharan

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Metro must reach all residential and commercial centers of Kochi, says E Sreedharan E. Sreedharan

Kochi Metro is a dream come true, even for the Metroman. E. Sreedharan counts the Metro in his home state as one of his greatest achievements. A chat with Sreedharan on the day of the opening of the first reach of the first phase of the ambitious project.

What were the challenges you faced in implementing the project? How did you overcome those?

One of our greatest hurdles was the narrow roads of Kochi. A lack of alternate roads affected our work in the daytime. Most of the work was done at night. We had to depend on migrant laborers because local labor was hard to come by. We were short of skilled laborers whenever the laborers went back to their home states midway. That was perhaps the biggest challenge. We also faced problems with a quarry strike, hartals and agitations.

Yet we were encouraged by the patience and understanding of the people of Kochi. They were prepared to face hardships and commute with a lot of inconvenience in the name of Metro.

Check our special site here | Kochi Metro: chugging along with time

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Were you apprehensive when you took up the project?

We did not have any apprehensions when we took up the project. Malayalis are very aware. I was sure that they would support the project if they were convinced that the project was implemented with transparency for the common good.

How did you tackle the labor strike?

Construction was halted several times because of flash strikes. Some of the people were misled into disrupting the work. But the government, police and the people’s representatives stood by us. That helped us continue with the job without much delays.

In-depth coverage of Kochi Metro

Shouldn’t metro be extended to the airport in the first phase itself?

I don’t agree with extending metro to the airport in the first phase. The reason is, the number of passengers to the airport may not be profitable for metro in the first phase.

What are the future plans for metro? Where will it go from here?

Kochi needs more than a line from Aluva to Petta. Metro should reach important residential areas and commercial centers. I am sure the Kochi Metro Rail Limited will take all the steps necessary for it.

What are DMRC’s future plans for Kerala?

We are interested in taking up the light metro projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. If the light metro project is successful, it could be extended to the three-tier cities in India. The DMRC is also interested in taking up the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed railway project.

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