Though cities in Kerala have begun thinking of Metro projects, those are meant for inner city mobility. For a state like Kerala, quicker intra city mobility is going to be important in the future.
As we develop and become a more vibrant economy, faster mobility is going to be the keyword. Cities presently have the major issue of congestion coupled with pollution making mobility slower and tedious. The cities like Bogota and Curitiba showed to the world that when road space becomes limited, other options have to be thought of. Various other cities opted for the Metro as it was the only mode that assures time-bound mobility.
If we look at examples like that of the UK, the cities there have realized the importance of working as clusters and the ‘combined authorities’ facilitation enables cities to work together especially in areas like transport. This concept is equally important for a state like Kerala where from the north to the south many things are getting integrated increasingly. In fact, in the future the technical limits of one district separating it from the other are not going to be relevant when it comes to movement and economic activity. The National Capital Region is a classic example where the limits of Delhi do not have much relevance for people moving back and forth and all one is interested in is smooth and quick mobility.
In a more or less straight line state like Kerala, thinking about the future and starting action for integrated mobility is extremely critical and this is where the proposed SilverLine project is critical for the future. The earlier we start making investments in critical future oriented infrastructure projects, the better it will be. With the Centre giving infrastructure push and in-principle approval and Railways being roped in as the partner in the process, this major employment generating economic activity is bound to be the trend setter for a better integrated, modern Kerala where we will not have to think of how to provide a seamless connectivity when other developments have taken place.
By taking this up, Railways will not have to plan separately for further rail improvements as the requirement of fast north south connectivity would be addressed through this project. Also, there are going to be some township development activities as well. Of course, I would assume that the requirements of citizens who are affected by the project would be taken care of appropriately.
On the financing side, the funds, if availed from international agencies like Jica, the interest rate would be much less. Also, given that the finances would be spread over a period of five to 10 years, which could be the anticipated completion period of the project, the impact is unlikely to be high on the state exchequer. Coupled with the revenue from the project once people realize the relevance of the project and ridership increases, the repayment may not be impossible.
(The writer has served as the secretary of Union ministry of urban development and later as the infrastructure adviser to the UP government. As told to K P Sai Kiran)
As we develop and become a more vibrant economy, faster mobility is going to be the keyword. Cities presently have the major issue of congestion coupled with pollution making mobility slower and tedious. The cities like Bogota and Curitiba showed to the world that when road space becomes limited, other options have to be thought of. Various other cities opted for the Metro as it was the only mode that assures time-bound mobility.
If we look at examples like that of the UK, the cities there have realized the importance of working as clusters and the ‘combined authorities’ facilitation enables cities to work together especially in areas like transport. This concept is equally important for a state like Kerala where from the north to the south many things are getting integrated increasingly. In fact, in the future the technical limits of one district separating it from the other are not going to be relevant when it comes to movement and economic activity. The National Capital Region is a classic example where the limits of Delhi do not have much relevance for people moving back and forth and all one is interested in is smooth and quick mobility.
In a more or less straight line state like Kerala, thinking about the future and starting action for integrated mobility is extremely critical and this is where the proposed SilverLine project is critical for the future. The earlier we start making investments in critical future oriented infrastructure projects, the better it will be. With the Centre giving infrastructure push and in-principle approval and Railways being roped in as the partner in the process, this major employment generating economic activity is bound to be the trend setter for a better integrated, modern Kerala where we will not have to think of how to provide a seamless connectivity when other developments have taken place.
By taking this up, Railways will not have to plan separately for further rail improvements as the requirement of fast north south connectivity would be addressed through this project. Also, there are going to be some township development activities as well. Of course, I would assume that the requirements of citizens who are affected by the project would be taken care of appropriately.
On the financing side, the funds, if availed from international agencies like Jica, the interest rate would be much less. Also, given that the finances would be spread over a period of five to 10 years, which could be the anticipated completion period of the project, the impact is unlikely to be high on the state exchequer. Coupled with the revenue from the project once people realize the relevance of the project and ridership increases, the repayment may not be impossible.
(The writer has served as the secretary of Union ministry of urban development and later as the infrastructure adviser to the UP government. As told to K P Sai Kiran)
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