Kochi metro pins hopes on Ahluwalias visit

KOCHI: Amidst the present crisis over Kochi Metro and the reported withdrawal of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia will visit the sites of the Metro Rail project this month.    The proposed visit has given fresh hopes about the project being pulled back to the right direction.Union Minister K V Thomas, a strong advocate of E Sreedharan and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, said he hoped that the DMRC would be assigned the task. He pointed out that the DMRC has already been entrusted with the metro-related projects. “Sreedharan is the ideal choice for implementing the project. With the Chief Minister stating that Sreedharan’s assistance will be availed of for the project, the confusion is gone. In fact, the previous government had given the task to the DMRC. Hence there is no room for confusion. And while implementing a project like Kochi Metro, we can seek the assistance of none other than Sreedharan and the DMRC,” K V Thomas told Express. He further added that at a time when the project is getting positive signals from the Centre and the Planning Commission a controversy over the DMRC would not be helpful. Ahluwalia, who was scheduled to be in the state on January 11 and 12, has postponed his visit. However, he will visit Kochi this month itself, the officials said.“It would be a two-day visit. On the first day he will make a site visit and inspection in Kochi. The next day, he will attend an official meeting in Thiruvananthapuram and hold discussions with the Chief Minister. “He will also attend a couple of other official functions in the state,” the sources said. The dates of the visit will be finalised based on the availability of the Chief Minister.With the reported withdrawal of the DMRC from the project, the Kochi Metro project is in a major crisis. The issue has also brought forth the differences of opinion between the Union ministers from the state and the state ministers. In the wake of the controversy, the UDF allies have asked their ministers not to make any comment on the issue.