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‘Metroman' Mr E. Sreedharan is visiting Kozhikode this Sunday to conduct survey of the alignment for the proposed monorail project.
The Kozhikode monorail will be implemented by the State Public Works Department, an official spokesman said here.
TALKS HELD
Mr Sreedharan's itinerary in the city in the north of the State would be spread over two days, which was finalised after he met with the Minister for Public Works, Mr V. K. Ebrahim Kunju.
Among those present on the occasion included Mr Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Public Works, and Mr Harikesh P. C., Chief Executive Officer, Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB).
The KRFB has been constituted to mobilise, deploy, and manage funds on behalf of the State Government to facilitate development of logistical infrastructure and amenities in the State.
DETAILED REPORT
The board seeks to ensure effective management of funds, better private sector participation and timely completion of projects.
The department has already prepared a detailed project report on the project, which would be laid out along a 13-km route extending from the Government Medical College Junction to Meenchanda.
The Minister handed over the report to Mr Sreedharan, the official spokesman said, and added that further initiatives in the matter would be finalised after Mr Sreedharan examines the report in detail.
It would be left to Mr Sreedharan to take a call on getting involved in the Kozhikode monorail project. He has already committed his time to the Kochi Metro Rail project.
SREEDHARAN'S CALL
In case Mr Sreedharan expresses interest in the project, the State Government would not have a problem roping him in, the spokesman quoted the Minister as saying.
Earlier reports said put the project cost at around Rs 1,500 crore. The detailed project report was prepared by Wilbur Smith Associates.
A global tender is proposed to be floated inviting bids for the project, which would be executed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
The State Government would be involved in preparing the financial structuring of the project, according to the Minister.
The requirement of land would be minimal since the monorail would run over elevated concrete beams. The beams will be placed on pillars sunk along a line in the middle of the road.
Kozhikode has been listed by the Centre among the tier-II cities eligible for metro rail. But State Government has opted for the monorail, taking into consideration the geographic attributes of the city as also economic feasibility.
The State Government had considered two different alignments for the project – the Medical College-Meenchanda-Karipur Airport and the Elathur-Beypore-Ramanattukara.
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