Kochi Metro will go on, says HC

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday refused to interfere with the demolition of North Railway Overbridge (ROB), and asked for clarifcation from the state government on the status of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd formed to execute the Metro Rail project.

The court's order came in reponse to a petition filed by V. M. Michael, convener of the Campaign for Economics in Most Appropriate Transport System for Kochi, against the demolition of the North ROB in the absence of alternate routes.

Mr Michael argued that the city would be divided into two segments if the North ROB was demolished and the Thammanam-Pulleppady, Salim Rajan and Goshree-Pachalam roads were not thrown open to traffic.

The division bench comprising acting Chief Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair and Justice P.S. Gopinathan, however, felt these apprehensions were misplaced and refused to interfere in the matter.

The bench asked the government for a clarification on Mr Michael's claim that the Kochi Metro Rail Limited, formed by the state for implementing the metro rail project, had not been officially sanctioned by the Union government.

The Cochin Metro Rail Limited too had not been approved by the Centre under the Metro Rail Act 1978.
When the court advised the government to consider the feasibility of extending the Metro Rail project to the Cochin International Airport, advocate general K.P. Dandapani submitted that such a proposal was already being considered.