The 2.5-km-long European Union (EU)-aided ‘green corridor’ proposed from Ernakulam Town (North) to Ernakulam Junction (South) railway station, and having links with the KSRTC bus station and four metro stations on the route has got an impetus, with its French project consultant readying a feasibility report in July.
The project will be realised using 1 million Euro grant from the EU under Mobilise Your City (MYC) programme. The green corridor, which will have space for pedestrians, bicycles, and e-rickshaws, envisages the construction of a new stretch that will run parallel to the railway track linking the two stations. It will thus reduce the distance between the stations by half.
The survey and sketches for the corridor, which will have width ranging from 3 metres to 10 metres, are over. Within this space, up to 2.5 metres will be set apart for landscaping (wherever possible), up to 4 metres for footpath, up to 3.5 metres for bicycle track, and up to 5.5 metres for to-and-fro movement of e-rickshaws. The corridor will also have trees and energy-efficient street lights. Most trees already on the stretch will be retained as part of site-responsive design. Railings may be erected in locales where the railway track is close by, said the local project coordinator of the New Delhi-based Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC).
A detailed project report (DPR) will be readied shortly for the unique project that will be executed by French development agency AFD. UMTC will be tasked with coordinating with the Kochi Corporation at the regional level and with other agencies at the national level. The corporation and AFD have already inked an agreement to take the project ahead.
The consultant would have made presentations for stakeholders, but for COVID-19 curbs. The EU chose this project in Kochi, while it will provide grant for similar projects in Nagpur and Ahmedabad as part of initiatives to improve infrastructure in developing countries.
The green corridor will prevent the need for commuters, other members of the public, and railway workers having to walk through ill-lit and crime-prone rail tracks to commute between the two stations. Land acquisition will be minimal, since land owned by the Railways, KSRTC, and the Kochi Corporation is available, except for a small stretch at Kaloor. Revenue (puramboke) land too is available, official sources confided.
The Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED) under the Kochi Corporation will help process documents and other details, while AFD will streamline EU funding. The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) had given up a similar project it had conceived over five years ago, citing inadequate funds.