Trade and development-focused bodies in Thiruvananthapuram have asked Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to direct Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC), an urban mobility consultant, to urgently convene a comprehensive consultative meeting with stakeholders, including business organisations, before submitting the final report on the proposed metro project in Thiruvananthapuram.
“As aspects like technology and alignment will largely decide the success of the project, key stakeholders in the city can contribute towards decision-making in terms of alignment by providing insights on areas that will drive high demand - like IT hubs, healthcare clusters, and other emerging industry destinations in and around the city,” said S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, president of TCCI, here in a statement on Thursday.
“Given that collecting ideas from key stakeholders is a requisite step in any study, it is surprising that no stakeholder consultation has been carried out in this regard. Worse, even the business community in the capital has been overlooked,” he added. “The KMRL’s position that a stakeholder meeting will be called after the UMTC submits the final report lacks logic. A meeting after the choice of technology, route, etc. will serve no purpose,” said Abraham Thomas, secretary of TCCI.
“We see metro as being a transformative step in the development of the capital. Various bodies will be able to support with calculations on development projects proposed for the short and medium-term future, and also minimising displacements, lessening disruption of traffic and normal life during construction,” said K. Srikant, Secretary, Trivandrum Agenda Task Force (TATF).
