PM Modi to flag off India's first Water Metro in Kochi today

KOCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off India's first Water Metro that connects 10 islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with the city.

Water Metro is a unique urban mass transit system with the same experience and ease of travel as that of the conventional metro system. It is very useful in cities like Kochi.

"Kochi's water metro project is a unique project which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister. This is a game-changing transport system because Kochi is surrounded by many islands and out of them 10 islands are very important and thickly populated," Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited told ANI ahead of PM Modi's visit to Loknath Behera.

"Those who depend on main lands will be getting a sustainable, regular, and luxurious transport system at a very affordable price," he added.

According to the officials, the Modi government has made a conscious choice to avoid a one-size fits all approach in providing infrastructure and connectivity.

A prime example of this approach is seen in the expansion of metro connectivity in the country. Prime Minister Modi, who is on a visit to Kerala, will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various projects worth more than Rs 3200 crore.

Apart from Kochi Water Metro, rail electrification of the Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section will also be dedicated by PM Modi.

During the event, PM Modi will also lay the foundation of various rail projects including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Varkala Sivagiri railway stations; comprehensive development of Thiruvananthapuram area including Nemon and Kochuveli and increasing of sectional speed of Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section.

Earlier on April 24, the Prime Minister who landed in Kerala for a two-day visit, held a mega roadshow in Kochi on Monday. Sporting traditional Kerala attire, PM Modi walked through the streets of Kochi. People queued up on both sides of the road and cheered for the Prime Minister.

They also showered flower petals on him. PM Modi was also seen shaking hands with people. After walking for over 15 minutes, the security personnel escorted him to an SUV. He will flag off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on Tuesday.

According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the train will cover 11 districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod. PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram.

According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Digital Science Park is envisaged as a key research facility to develop digital products and services by industry and business units in collaboration with academia. As a third generation Science Park, the Digital Science Park will house common facilities to support the development of products in the area of Industry 4.0 Technologies like AI, data analytics, cyber security, smart materials etc, said the PMO statement.

The state-of-the-art basic infrastructure will support high-end applied research by industries and the co-development of products in association with the Universities. The initial investment for Phase-1 of the project is around Rs 200 crore while the total project outlay has been estimated at around Rs 1,515 crore.