DMRC Appointed Interim Consultant for Metro Projects in Trivandrum & Kozhikode

After a little nudge from E. Sreedharan in September and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announcing (read: threatening) the closure of their local offices in August in Kozhikode & Trivandrum due to inactivity, Kerala’s Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday intervened & approved the DMRC to be appointed as the interim consultant for the metro projects proposed in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode!

The Chief Minister who also functions as the Kerala Rapid Transit Limited (KRTL)’s chairman made this decision when the minutes of the KRTL’s board meeting held on October 14 were presented before him for his approval.

DMRC’s Metro Bhawan HQs on Fire Brigade Lane, Barakhamba area in Delhi – Photo Copyright: Pioneerwest

Another view of the Raj Rewal designed building – Photo Copyright: Raj Rewal

While the Kerala government approved the Detailed Project Report of both the projects on July 29, the Ministry of Urban Development is yet to provide its in-principle approval for the project. As per the DMRC, the KRTL isn’t acting quick enough to expedite the project. For instance, Mr. Sreedharan’s request to the Chief Minister to post an advertisement seeking a Managing Director for the projects is yet to be implemented. Since the Kerala government’s official administrative sanction in September all together failed to mention the DMRC’s role in executing the projects, the DMRC in fact scaled down the number of employees.

With this appointment now granted, the DMRC can now go ahead and get busy with their work. Their Interim-Consultant role here will be similar to their role in Lucknow where the metro project is progressing at a very fast pace – see Lucknow Metro updates. Until a formal consultant is appointed, they will help in kick-starting the land acquisition process of identifying properties, prepare bid documents for rolling stock & civil construction and prepare comprehensive road diversion plans so that traffic is not affected during construction.

Here’s hoping there are no more roadblocks!

For more updates on Metro projects from India, check out the Home Page of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG