Malappuram (Kerala) [India], February 2 : 'Metroman' E Sreedharan on Monday opened an office in Ponnani in Kerala's Malappuram district for a proposed high-speed rail project in the State.
The development comes despite Kerala finding no mention in the Union Budget 2026-27 presented in Parliament a day ago regartding he 7 high-speed rail corridors. The corridors included in the central budget include Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Chennai, Chennai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri.
Earlier last week, the Kerala State Budget presented ahead of the Union Budget announced its own Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in the hope that it would be included in the Union Budget.
Addressing reporters after the opening of the Ponnani office, the 93-year-old Sreedharan who served as the Managing Director of the Delhi Metro and was lauded for his role in Konkan Railway, expressed confidence about securing central Government approval for the project.
He said that the project would be implemented by the Railway Ministry, with the Kerala government's views to be sought after a detailed project report (DPR) is prepared.
"Time is money. We decided not to waste time," Sreedharan told reporters here today on deciding to go ahead without formal approval. The proposed high-speed rail line will run from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, with a maximum speed of 200 kmph.
"The office has been opened, although the staff has been called...work will officially start from today. Everything will be done without causing any inconvenience to locals. The staff will be instructed about the things to be completed quickly and about the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The field work is expected to start by April and completed by June 1," he said.
"The stations have been decided whether it should be elevated or underground. A station-to-station plan will be made. The locals should be brought to our side and their trust should be gained. The survey will be conducted manually. The yellow markers will not be placed for the timebeing. A decision will be taken in connection with land acquisition," Sreedharan said.
Earlier today, Sreedharan's wife Radha lit the traditional lamp at the opening ceremony of the Ponnani office.
Incidentally, Sreedharan contested the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections as a BJP candidate from the Palakkad seat. He subsequently quit the party and politics. Keraal is set to head into Assembly elections this year.
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