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The Kerala Goods Transporters Federation (KGTF) has called for implementation of the recommendations of the Rail India Technical & Economic Services (RITES) for solving the traffic congestion in Kochi and suburbs before going ahead with the Metro Rail Project.
In a statement, N.A. Mohammed Kutty, State President of the federation, said that the over-enthusiasm to go for the Metro Rail project, which has been recommended only as a last alternative, instead of implementing immediate infrastructural development projects such as road development and modernisation of traffic junctions in the city has given room for a lot of suspicions about the actual intention behind the same.
Huge sums were spent for the study undertaken by RITES about 10 years ago. Metro Rail was just one among the many recommendations of the RITES study which had in detail taken into consideration the possible traffic scenario 50 years ahead.
RITES had specifically recommended a series of solutions such as suburban rail service, road connectivity between MG Road and national highway bypass, scientific development of junctions avoiding signals, flyovers and outer city ring roads. Metro has been suggested as the one that has to be implemented after completing all the above projects, he said.
He pointed out that how the Metro Rail alone could not be a solution for the traffic congestion of Kochi without constructing flyovers in Edappally, Palarivattam, Vytilla and Kundannur junctions. Moreover, Metro Rail could never solve the problems faced by the goods traffic sector, he said.
He said that the existing national highway would not be able to withstand the heavy traffic to and from the Vallarpadam Terminal. The development of the Seaport-Airport road is also at a standstill.
The federation points out that the traffic congestion along the Kalamasserry-Kundannur stretch could be eased to a great extent if this road is extended up to Angamaly and linked the NAD road straight to the Seaport Airport road by constructing a railway overbridge near the Kalamasserry railway station.
The Federation also urged for solutions to the problems created by the elongated “car-carriers” on the State’s roads. The very entry of these carriers into Kerala is unauthorised.
In Kerala even permits are not given to these types of vehicles. If these carriers could be banned, the congestion in Kerala’s roads could be reduced to a certain extent, he said.
> sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in
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