PM Narendra Modi to flag off Kochi Metro today, take inaugural ride

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Kochi Metro. Addressing the crowd in Kochi, Modi said that he dedicates the metro services to the people of Kochi. He also said that with rising population in Kochi, people of Kochi will be find the metro services very helpful. He also added that coaches in Kochi Metro shows Make in India vision. Describing Kochi as the “queen of Arabian Sea”, PM Modi said that Kochi has become the capital hub of Kerala over the years.

Earlier, PM Modi arrived at Kochi INS Garuda Naval Air Station, news agency ANI reported, where he was welcomed by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He took the first metro ride along with CM Vijayan, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu and “Metro Man” E Sreedharan from Palarivattom to Pathadippalam, after which he proceeded towards the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium for the inauguration. PM Modi is expected to hold meeting with CM Vijayan and other cabinet ministers later in the day.

Arriving in a special aircraft at the Kochi Naval Base, Modi will proceed to Palarivattom station to board the Metro to Pathadipplam and will return to Palarivattom. Then he will proceed to Kaloor international stadium, the venue of the inaugural ceremony.The Kochi Metro is the first public transport system to reserve jobs for members of the third sex and it will be manned mainly by women from the Kudumbhasree Mission, a self-help group. Among 30-odd Metro drivers, seven are women.The Metro has employed 23 transgenders in various departments based on their qualifications. Selected after a written test and interview, they were given three-month training. More workers from the community will be inducted after gauging their success, said Kerala Metro Rail Limited managing director Elias George.It is also the county’s first fully integrated metro. With one ticket, a commuter can travel in feeder services along road and water.

Besides this, the Metro has installed solar panels atop all stations to tap green energy. Once fully operational, the Metro’s entire power demand will be met by these panels. In the first phase, trains will operate for a distance of 13 km - Aluva to Palarivattom. There are 11 stations in the 13-km stretch that will be covered in 20 minutes. Later, it will be extended to Maharajas College. Construction for the first phase began in 2012 after the Oommen Chandy government entrusted the work to the DMRC with Sreedharan as its principal advisor.

The project had its share of controversies too. Earlier, there was an attempt to inaugurate the project while the Prime Minister was out of the country. When it snowballed into a big issue, the Kerala government retracted. The state government had protested a few days back when the guest list for the inaugural session was cut short by the PMO. Later, Sreedharan was included in the guest list on the dais. However, Sreedharan, popularly known as the Metro Man, downplayed the issue. The Metro also threw a sumptuous treat for its 800-odd employees, mainly labourers from the north-eastern states who worked in the project for the last three years. ‘Metro Man’ Sreedharan gets loudest cheers at Kochi Metro inauguration

There were loud cheers and whistling in the audience as Sreedharan's name was mentioned as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others looked on. E Sreedharan may have needed the state government’s intervention to get a place on the dais for the Kochi Metro inauguration but when he did, the loudest cheers of the audience were reserved for him. So much so that KMRL MD Elias George, while mentioning Sreedharan’s contribution, had to wait for several seconds for the applause to die down during his address. Towards the end of his welcome address, George said, “I would be remiss if I did not specifically welcome Dr Sreedharan…(heavy applause)…who is

one of India’s most distinguished engineers and a source of inspiration for all Indians. None of us are in any doubt that our Metro would not have been completed today without his dedication and commitment. I have great pleasure in welcoming you, sir, to this function.” There were loud cheers and whistling in the audience as Sreedharan’s name was mentioned as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others looked on.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu also mentioned Sreedharan’s contributions in their speeches at the inauguration function. The names of Sreedharan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala were approved by the PMO in the list of dignitaries on the dais after the state government requested the same. However, the ‘Metro Man’ himself said that he was not disappointed that his name was ruled out in the initial list. “I am here only with all of you,” he had told reporters. Sreedharan, who served as the DMRC’s managing director between 1995 and 2012, came on to the Kochi Metro project as a principal advisor. He said that he will not be involved in the phase – 2 of the Metro’s construction as KMRL is equipped to work on it. There were also rumours that Sreedharan was being considered as the NDA candidate for President though he himself quashed the rumours.