20 lakh population mandated in capital city; Hurdle for Thiruvananthapuram's metro dream

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first hurdle for the Thiruvananthapuram Metro is the population shortage in the capital. According to the central government's metro policy, the metro will be allowed only in areas with a minimum population of 20 lakh. However, according to the 2011 census, the population of Thiruvananthapuram is 16.79 lakh. The city and its surroundings have only 7.88 lakh population. The new population estimated in the project document prepared for the metro is 13.5 lakh. The population of only the 371.94 square kilometre area, including the metro route, has been included in the project document.

The Centre last day rejected the DPR for the Coimbatore and Madurai metro projects after the cities fell short of the mandated 20 lakh population mark. According to the 2011 census, the population of Coimbatore city is 15.84 lakh, and that of Madurai is only 14.7 lakh.

Taking this into account, changes will have to be made in the project document prepared by Kochi Metro. The project documents for metros in other cities usually include population information for an area of ​​500 to 900 square km around the city. Similar amendments are required in the project document to get approval for the metro without any hindrance.

Thiruvananthapuram is currently estimated to have a population of 33 lakh. The population density in the city is very high. The metro line is proposed in the city from Pappanamcode to Eanchakkal. It can also be extended to Neyyattinkara and Attingal in the future. If more areas are included in the project document, the population barrier of 20 lakh can be crossed.

The project document prepared by DMRC in 2014 for the light metro states that the population rate in the capital is increasing by 3 per cent annually. This will also have to be included in the revised DPR for the metro.

There are also cases of metros being allocated to state capitals despite not meeting the 20 lakh population target. Metros were allocated to Patna, the capital of Bihar (17 lakh), and Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh (18.8 lakh).