more-in The Central government has agreed to consider providing equity (around 15%) to complete Kochi metro’s extension from Pettah up to S.N. Junction, Thripunithura. This was decided at the 31st director board meeting of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) held on Friday in New Delhi. The total estimated cost of the extension is ?1,330 crore. The State government nod was awaited to extend the metro to Thripunithura railway station, said KMRL Managing Director A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish. The project report for the extension will be submitted to the Centre for its assistance and approval. The board also authorised KMRL’s MD to avail foreign funding to extend the metro rail to Thripunithura and Angamaly. Mr. Hanish said the stretch from Maharaja’s College to Thykoodam on Vyttila-Pettah Road was expected to be completed by June 2019, while the corridor up to Pettah could be completed by December 2019. Shifting of utilities on the stretch will be over in a week, following which the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) could begin piling. Second phase KMRL chairman and Urban Development Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has said that the project report and proposal for the second stage of Kochi metro from the International Stadium to Infopark in Kakkanad, which was submitted in July for approval, was assessed by different departments and the ministry was expected to sanction it shortly. The board meeting was also attended by the Chief Secretary Tom Jose and Principal Secretary (Finance) Manoj Joshi. Metro township Meanwhile, 17.46 acres of land near the NGO quarters at Kakkanad, which was granted to KMRL in 2013, was handed over by the District Collector to the metro agency on Friday. An integrated metro township having housing and commercial facilities to provide alternate revenue for the metro’s operation and upkeep is expected to come up there. Water metro ferries Mr. Hanish said that it had been decided to go in for ferries with aluminium hull and fibre body for the ?747-crore Water Metro project. The process for RFQ (request for qualification), which is the first qualifying step for procuring ferries for the project, was completed and tenders opened a few days ago. A total of eight companies consisting of three Chinese, one Dutch, one UAE and three Indian firms (L&T, Goa Shipyard and Cochin Shipyard) have expressed their interest in the project by submitting RFQ. The qualified companies will be provided with the final tender procedures and will be asked to submit the financial and technical bids.

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