The government is making a detailed assessment of the financial liability of the Light Metro project for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode cities in the wake of the huge loss incurred by the Kochi metro, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Thursday.
Replying to a calling attention motion by V.S. Sivakumar in the Assembly, he said a committee headed by the Finance Secretary had been tasked with the financial appraisal of the project. “The Kochi metro is running at a big loss. The financial commitments of that project also need to be studied in detail,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan said it was important for the Centre and the State to make their stand clear before launching a new metro project. He added that the government had sanctioned ₹272 crore for the construction of three flyovers as part of the Light Metro project for Thiruvananthapuram and moves were on to develop the Kazhakuttam-Kesavadasapuram stretch.
Mr. Vijayan informed the House that the new metro policy announced by the Centre had forced the government to assess the financial liability of the Light Metro project for Kozhikode also.
Asserting that the government would not back away from the Light Metro project, he said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had exited the project on completion of its contract period for consultancy. “It is not expected to make things difficult for the project in any way. The Light Metro project can utilise the expertise gained by the KMRL,” he said.
Moving the motion, Mr. Sivakumar said the Light Metro projects for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode were bogged down due to uncertainties. He feared that the decision to take up the construction of three flyovers in Thiruvananthapuram without involving experts would torpedo the Light Metro project.
