Metro work hit as PWD closes road

Kochi: The movement of girders and raw material from the casting yard of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) at Kalamassery has been interrupted after the Public Works Department (PWD) closed HMT Road for white-topping works.
The DMRC will now have to depend on the casting yard at Eloor to meet raw material requirement for the Metro rail work from Aluva to Vyttila.
Earlier, the works depart ment had blocked one lane of the HMT Road, obstructing the movement of big trailers from the Kalamassery casting yard. The DMRC had then taken up the issue with the state government. The PWD has now blocked the other lane of the road also, blocking the movement of all types of vehicles through the road.
PWD officials claimed that they were forced to wait for the last one-and-a-half-years by Metro authorities to complete the white-topping work. “We can't wait any more. We will reopen the road on February 18,'' said a PWD official. “Till then, the DMRC can use alternative roads such as Edappally-Pookkattupady road for transporting materials,'' he said. But, DMRC officials said that it would be difficult for big trailers to pass through these narrow roads. “We have no other option but to stop transportating material from the yard. We may not meet the February-end deadline to conduct the trial run of coaches over the elevated tracks,'' DMRC spokesperson said.
According to DMRC officials, the work on the flyover at Edappally will also be delayed.“The work on stations is fast progressing. The roadblock will affect the work significantly,'' DMRC officials said.