Participants at a stakeholders’ meeting on the draft of the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) for Kozhikode on February 3 (Saturday) suggested that a metro rail service would be necessary for the city in view of its future growth and increasing traffic bottlenecks.
The CMP is a strategy for short, medium and long-term investments in a city to improve the mobility and accessibility of its residents considering the land use pattern.
Minister for Tourism and Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas, Minister for Forests and Wildlife A.K. Saseendran, Kochi Metro Rail Limited Managing Director Loknath Behera, Mayor Beena Philip, and Corporation councillors, among others, participated in the discussions.
Mr. Saseendran said that the metro rail service could be implemented in phases. Steps should be taken for the first phase of works based on the draft CMP. The implementation of a comprehensive transport system could be part of this, he added.
Ms. Philip pointed out that the metro rail service would address traffic jams in the city. She said that the project should not be confined to Kozhikode city alone and extended to suburban areas as well. The metro service should be organised in such a way that it ran complimentary to the bus services in the city, she added.
District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh said that other transportation networks would be combined with the metro project. Rajpal Meena, District Police Chief (Kozhikode City), said that at least one lakh vehicles entered the city each day. A metro rail service would help reduce the rise in number of vehicles, he said, highlighting that 167 lives were lost in road accidents in the city in 2023.
