The CPI(M) which had opposed the Rs.6,728-crore Light Metro for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode has now asked the government to entrust the project to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Principal Adviser, DMRC, E. Sreedharan.
The party’s sudden volte-face comes in the wake of the government’s delay in approving the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by the DMRC on October 8 last and the Finance Department’s reluctance to provide financial support to the project, citing financial difficulties faced by the exchequer.
CPI(M) legislator V. Sivankutty had spearheaded the demand to oust the DMRC and Mr. Sreedharan from the Light Metro project. The party had demanded floating of global tenders instead of the turn-key system mooted by the DMRC as in the Kochi metro project.
With the Cabinet deferring the Light Metro for the second consecutive week, the CPI(M) has come out openly in favour of the DMRC and Mr. Sreedharan.
CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran has asked the government to hand over the project to DMRC and Mr. Sreedharan.
Mr. Surendran said the 10 lakh people in the capital were facing hardship because of the lack of an efficient public transport system. The Light Metro project, proposed by Mr. Sreedharan, could solve the traffic and transport problems.
The UDF government had been trying to avoid Mr. Sreedharan and the DMRC from the beginning itself, he said.
The Finance Department and the Planning Board want the project in the public-private partnership mode and want to float global tenders to award consultancy. Mr. Surendran said the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, were spearheading the move to bring in private players.
Mr. Surendran said the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, should make it clear which political party would oppose the project in public sector.
The CPI(M) district secretary said the people of the capital should take up the issue and agitate to commence the project at the earliest.
