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KOCHI: The Kerala Government's decision to give its nod for the over Rs 3,000-crore Kochi Metro Rail, the first of its kind public transport system in the State where commuters largely depend on crowded buses, has revived hopes of implementation of the p roject that had remained in limbo for the past three years due to various factors.

The State Cabinet last week decided to give sanction to the Kochi Metro Rail Project on the lines of Delhi Metro as a joint venture by State and Central Governments and earmark Rs 50 lakh to establish the Metro Rail Office here, the commercial hub of the State.

But, still numerous bottlenecks, including the funding pattern and clearance from the Centre, plaguing the project have to be overcome before it can become a reality. The Centre has recently cleared the Chennai Metro project, but there is no word yet on the sanction for the Kochi Metro as well as its funding pattern.

While the State Government wanted it to be implemented as a joint venture project by the State and the Centre with both sharing the cost, the Centre has expressed its inability to allocate funds. - PTI

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