Development summit on infrastructure projects

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation will organise a development summit in the second week of December, to discuss on various infrastructure projects that are feasible for the city. The decision in this regard was taken at the corporation council meeting held here on Wednesday.The summit will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Professional town planners and experts will take part in the discussions. “The exact date of the summit will be finalised according to the convenience of the Chief Minister,” said Mayor Tony Chammany. The Mayor said the Corporation is planning to take necessary steps for setting up Integrated Metropolitan Transport Authority (IMTA), which will integrate the existing modes of transports.” The formation of the IMTA is a part of the National Urban Transport Policy, that was suggested for cities, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The authority will look after the regulatory issues like, fares and tariffs, as well as provisioning and common functions services for metro, rail, water and bus systems,” Chammany said.The civic body would soon submit a proposal in this regard to the state government. Regarding the need for introducing suburban trains in the city, the Mayor said that he would hold talks with a special team from the railways, who will visit Kochi on November 18. They will discuss the feasibility of developing old Ernakulam Railway Station into a suburban hub. A  team from the corporation including the Mayor will accompany the special team.The Mayor also informed the councillors that a special meeting will be convened by December first week, to review the status of various projects under the JNNURM and the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP).  “We are also planning to convene a meeting with the Kerala Water authority (KWA) officials to discuss immediate measures to solve the potable-water crisis of west Kochi,” he added.The Mayor also said that he will convene a review meeting to look into the complaints raised by councillors about the inefficiency of the engineering department of the Palluruthy division.Chammany said that the details of the building owners who had evaded the tax, and illegal structures identified in the recent revenue tax drive would be presented in the next council meeting.

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