Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar on Thursday said that it remains a mystery why the central government is not giving the nod for the Kochi Metro project.
"We are all quite surprised because when it comes to Kochi Metro the central government has not yet given the sanction while similar projects in Chennai, Bangalore and West Bengal have been given the green signal," the minister informed the Kerala assembly.
The minister's statement comes after the proposed Rs.3,048 crore Kochi Metro Rail project was cleared by the Kerala government in March and it asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to commence the preliminary work.
The preliminary work includes widening roads and construction of necessary overbridges.
The project is a joint venture of the state and the central government. Sanctions from the Planning Commission and the urban development ministry have come but the nod from the finance ministry is what is holding the project back.