Chandy writes to PM on Kochi Metro project

Kerala CM Oommen Chandy has voiced concern over the Centre deferring its decision to entrust work of the Rs 5,181 crore Kochi Metro project to DMRC.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has voiced concern over the Centre deferring its decision to entrust work of the Rs 5,181 crore Kochi Metro project to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, saying DMRC itself had evinced interest many times in the past in taking it up.

He noted that the Board of Kochi Metro Rail Limited had failed to take a decision on awarding work to DMRC despite five government representatives in the board seeking such a decision. Chandy, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said that DMRC had a number of times in the past stated that it is willing to take up the project and was already handling preparatory works. "The state government has full trust in the capability of DMRC and its Principal Adviser E Sreedharan to implement the project and get concessional finance for the same," he said. The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the Kochi Metro Project last month. Chandy in a recent letter to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had asked her to permit DMRC to take up work on Kochi Metro and monorail projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in view of the decision that DMRC needed permission of its Director Board to take up projects outside Delhi. He said KMRL had the capability to carry out the work and no human resources would have to be diverted from DMRC for the work. "What the state needs is expertise in handling technically complex projects," he said. Chandy wanted Dikshit to prevail on the Delhi government representatives in DMRC to facilitate a decision favouring Kerala. The project ran into controversy after senior IAS officer and former KMRL Managing Director Tom Jose wrote to the Centre with regard to Sreedharan`s role in the Kochi Metro. The government had sought an explanation from Jose for dashing off a letter to the Centre allegedly without its approval. PTI