Kochi Metro - Alignment issues
The argument of the traders that that metro sounds the death knell for their businesses defies logic. Yes, during the construction phase it would cause hardship to traders and more than half of M.G road would be non-usable. But, this is a very short term view of things, especially for a public utility which is to re-define the city. In our opinion a re-alignment of the line passing through m.g road would take the meat out of the project and pretty much defeats the whole purpose. As such business is getting out of the CBD and moving to places like the bye-pass. Looking forward this one utility would be the only thing that would retain M.G road as the hub of business. Is that too difficult to figure out? World-wide if you look at the trends, it is typically around utilities like the metro that growth happens.
The government should stick to its guns and under no consideration allow a re-alignment. Kochi metro rail.
Trade is always a function of progress. How much progress the project will bring to Kochi only the future can say. But from experiance, with any metro Project there has been attached exponential growth of trade in the long term. Not only for the existing businesses whose selfish interests have always been against projects but also for better and newer businesses.
One of my prefered areas for shopping is MG Road and Marine drive however in current traffic conditions it means 45 Mins up (min) and 45 min down for me. Which means I shop local with limited choices. And people say trade suffer. Yes It does, with the traffic around.
It is a shame that a state government gets lobied by a handfull of people puts a pause on the future of a city. Kochi is a City with a lot of pottential and the people are as enterprising as the City itself. As a person from a nearby city with close ties with Kochi I was shocked the project was put aside by the efforts of a handful. If the State Government wishes the well of its people and not of the pockets of its members the Project should be allowed to become the Pride of Kochi.
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