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Mangalore, Jan 18: Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) favoured Konkan Railway Corporation’s (KRC) Sky Bus project over metro project as the ideal transportation system for Mangalore.
KCCI president Kumble Narasimha Prabhu in a letter to Advisor to Karnataka Governor S Krishnakumar explained that Mangalore city with an area of 375 sq km and a population of six lakh needed a viable transport system.
The population of city is expected to grow by 2,00,000 due to migration and inflow of skilled workers, professionals. Keeping a long term perspective in mind, KRC’s sky bus project will be a boon to passengers.
The state government, an equity shareholder in the project, has been apprised of the project by district administration. The chief minister and deputy minister had promised to support the pre-feasibility study of the project.
“Pre-feasibility study also done by Konkan Railway will establish distance parameters, traffic density and importantly the project’s viability,” Prabhu informed.
The sky bus project is suited best to Indian conditions and the investment in comparison to a metro is reasonable. The project requires an investment of Rs 1,500 crore and when completed will serve 1,500 customers at peak hours.
The president urged the advisor to sanction the money in order to undertake the pre-feasibility study.
“The project is said to be viable and it is based on public-private model,” Prabhu stated in the letter also submitted to Principal Secretary V P Baligar.