Kochi Metro Rail Ltd neglects gaining more land for control centre
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) denied the possibility of acquiring more land for construction of Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Muttom. The Metro agency mentioned that the facility would come in focus at the site identified for Kochi Metro’s coach maintenance yard at Muttom.
KMRL spokesperson says that the design of the maintenance yard has been made denser and it will be possible to establish the OCC at the same place. He also added that this decision is taken because of the delay in the starting of the construction of the structure.
At the beginning, the OCC was planned to be constructed at the railway-owned land near Ernakulam South railway station. The Metro authorities changed the plan because it was difficult to get possession of the land. After that, it was planned to establish the OCC at the state government land in Kaloor which is under the control of St Albert’s college management. But controversies erupted when the district administration started the process of acquiring the land, which was being used as college ground. This land was given to the college administration on lease. It was mentioned that after the expiry of the lease agreement, the college refuses to hand over the land.
Revenue department official says that as their department went forward with land acquisition procedures, it came out that the college had provided 15 percents of the total 4.67 acres on sublease. After the involvement of court, Royal Garden, which operated on subleased land was forced to move out.
Officials of Kochi Metro mentioned that when the OCC gets shifted to Muttom, it would not be placed at the centre of the Kochi Metro route. A Kochi Metro official says that the OCC would be on the extreme end of the Aluva-Pettah route.
Source: The Times of India
Aluva-Pettah, Ernakulam south Railway station, Kaloor, KMRL, Kochi, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, Kochi Metro's coach maintenance yard, muttom, OCC, Operation Control Centre, Revenue department
