Chennai: Though the second phase of the city metro rail project is still awaiting Centre’s approval, Chennai Metro Rail has begun field surveys and has initiated talks with the revenue officials in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur district to acquire lands for building the metro lines. The 108.4 km phase-2 project will connect several parts of the city suburban areas including Madhavaram and the IT corridor along Old Mahabalipuram Road.
The Rs 44,000 crore project will have three corridors running across the length and breadth of the city connected by 104 stations. Survey along the corridors to map land and buildings on the alignment route have begun, a metro rail official said. Land that may be temporarily required for construction of lines are also being considered. “This will make it easy when the notices are issued to the land and building owners for acquisition,” the official said.
The Rs 44,000 crore phase-2 project will have three corridors running across the length and breadth of the city connected by 104 stations.
While the project, which will cover more than double the distance covered by the two corridors of phase-1 corridors, is awaiting approval from the Centre, CMRL has also appraised a team of officials of Japan International Cooperation Agency for funding of the project. “We are expecting to sign an agreement with JICA by March or April 2018. By that time, procurement process will also start,” said S Krishnan, principal secretary , planning, development and special initiatives, recently .
CMRL has kick started work for the second phase even as the construction of the 45km phase-1of the project is nearing completion. They began preliminary work for acquiring lands before they received approval for the phase-1 extension project that is being built to North Chennai with the rest of the city .
CMRL officials are also simultaneously holding meetings with the district revenue officials of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur , where the metro corridors are planned for the phase, to oversee the survey and eventual acquisition of land which will include issuance of notices to land and building owners and handling documents for the actual acquisition. “We are waiting for the detailed project report to be approved to start land acquisition process,” said an official with the district administration.
An official said a proposal has also been sent to the state to recruit more people capable of handling the land acquisition process as they would be dealing with the acquisition of more area of land than in phase-1 before they begin the actual construction.
