Road along Metro phase-2 corridor in Kochi not to have uniform width: RTI reply

KOCHI: Amid reports of changes incorporated in the original alignment of Kochi Metro Phase 2, also referred to as the Pink Line, it has been revealed that the road along the 11.2-km-long corridor connecting the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with Infopark won’t have uniform width. In its reply to an RTI query, the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd said land has been acquired such that the road along the stretch from Palarivattom to Infopark will have a width of 22 to 26 m, and that 2m on both sides is meant for construction of drainage. “Land has been acquired in the stretch from Palarivattom to Infopark not in a uniform width,” the RTI reply to the specific query said. If one inspects the stretch from the turning just after Palarivattom POC till Vazhakkala, it can be seen that areas like Alinchuvadu, Chembumukku and Vazhakkala have lesser width, even less than 20 m. This may not fully resolve the current traffic congestion issue,” said Raju Vazhakala, an RTI activist. Currently, the section from Palarivattom to Vazhakkala witnesses heavy traffic congestion and it was expected to ease with the road development activities as part of the Pink Line construction.D Dhanuraj, chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Research, said a further study on possible traffic congestion is needed if the road width is less at certain points.