Want Kerala to have Light Metro too: 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan

Kochi: After successfully overseeing completion of work on 13 km of Kerala`s first metro -- Kochi Metro -- "Metro man" E. Sreedharan on Friday said he wants the proposed Light Metro project in the state to become a reality.

The first phase of the Kochi Metro will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Sreedharan on Friday talked about the Light Metro project while overseeing last-minute arrangements for the commissioning of the Kochi Metro. 

Light Metro is a proposed Rs 6,728 crore project to be implemented in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

He said that he will not be involved in the second phase of the Kochi Metro as the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is fully capable of going forward on its own.

"Of course I will be always available if they (KMRL) need any help. But now my wish is to see the proposed Light Metro in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram become a reality. It has to happen now or it will never happen. I want to be associated with the Light Metro project," said Sreedharan.

Work on Kochi Metro began in 2012 after the Oommen Chandy government entrusted the project to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, with its principal advisor Sreedharan overseeing it.

The first phase is 25 km long of which 13 km is completed and ready to run. The remaining 12 km will be completed in portions and the entire stretch will be operational in another two years.

Elaborating on the Kochi Metro, Sreedharan said there will be some inconveniences in the beginning but things will change when the second phase opens.