Kochi: Kochi on Saturday joined a select band of Indian cities having a metro rail system as prime minister Narendra Modi launched the Kochi Metro rail in Kerala’s commercial capital.
The prime minister also took a short journey on the brand-new overhead railway line, as scores of people lined the streets below to view the PM through the glass windows of the train. Modi acknowledged hand-waving admirers on the streets below, by waving back at them.
The PM, accompanied by state governor P. Sathasivam, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and a few others travelled a short distance from Palarivattom to Pathadipalam and back.
When he spoke at the inauguration, Modi began in characteristic fashion, saying in Malayalam that he joined all Keralites in their “happiness and pride” in the launch of the Kochi Metro.
Addressing the gathering after dedicating the project, he stressed the need to bring about a “paradigm shift” in urban planning by adopting a people-centric approach and integrating land use and transport.
He described as “noteworthy” the selection of nearly 1,000 women and 23 transgenders to work in the Kochi Metro Rail System.
“Futuristic infrastructure that will contribute to India’s growth,” the prime minister tweeted shortly after a ride in the Metro.
Modi, in his address said his government has placed special focus on overall infrastructural development of the nation.
“In Pragati meetings, I have personally reviewed nearly 175 projects worth more than Rs8 lakh crore and resolved bottlenecks,” he said, referring to his ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation).
Modi said his government was also focusing on “next generation infrastructure which includes logistics, digital and gas.”
The star of the inaugural event, however, was celebrated Indian engineer E. Sreedharan, who is widely known as ‘Metro man’ in India for his sterling contributions to the Konkan Railway project and the Delhi Metro. Sreedharan is the chief adviser to the Kochi Metro project.
When Kochi Metro managing director Elias George mentioned Sreedharan’s name in his welcome speech, the audience erupted in applause, forcing George to pause in mid-sentence while referring to Sreedharan as “one of India’s most distinguished engineers and an inspiration for all of us”.
The thundering applause for Sreedharan reinforced the wide appreciation for the former Indian Engineering Service official among the general public.
A controversy had raged in the run-up to the Kochi Metro launch when it was known that Sreedharan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala would not have places on the dais at the inaugural event.
The decision, apparently taken by the prime minister’s office based on security concerns, prompted chief minister Vijayan to write to the federal government to accommodate both of them on the dais. The PMO then intervened and included both of them among those to be seated on the dais.
Kochi Metro has a number of firsts to its credit, including the participation of hundreds of workers from different parts of the country in the construction, women loco-pilots, and a number of transgender people working in different functions of the metro system.
While the metro was being celebrated, there was criticism about Bharatiya Janata Party state president Kummanam Rajasekharan travelling with the PM and others in the inaugural ride despite not being included in the list of people who would accompany the PM on the journey.
On social media, commentators said Rajasekharan had become the first ticketless traveller on the Kochi Metro. “Along with the Kochi Metro launch, ticketless travel launch has also been carried out,” said another.
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Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is a 50-50 joint venture of the Centre and the state government.
The Centre has so far released over Rs2,000 crore for the project. The coaches reflected ‘Make in India’ vision. They have been built by Alstom near Chennai and have an Indian component of around 70 per cent, he said.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation of the project on September 13, 2012 and the construction began in June, 2013 during the tenure of the previous Congress-led UDF government headed by Oommen Chandy, who was conspicuous by his absence on Saturday.
The estimated completion cost of the Kochi Metro is Rs5,181.79 crore.
The new transport system is expected to enhance the quality of life for the Greater Kochi metro area by improving regional connectivity and reducing overcrowding and traffic congestion.
