Union minister for housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal Khattar has said the Centre is ready to back Kerala’s Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project once the State submits its detailed project report (DPR).
Speaking at the Kerala Urban Conclave in Kochi, Khattar mentioned that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had already raised the matter with him. He noted that the success of Kochi Metro and Water Metro shows Kerala’s capacity to build and run modern transport systems. Work on the Metro’s expansion is moving steadily, with both the state and central governments coordinating.
Khattar highlighted that India now has 1,065 km of metro lines in operation, placing the country third after China and the US. He added that within 2–3 years, India is expected to overtake the US in terms of operational length.
He also pointed to Kerala’s unique geography, saying the 700 km stretch from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram could evolve into one of the world’s longest urban corridors. According to him, Kerala is on track to reach nearly 95% urbanisation in a few years, possibly making it the most urbanised state in India. The minister hinted that Kerala could set benchmarks similar to global cities such as Dubai, Singapore, London and Washington.
In his address, Pinarayi Vijayan said the State needs to take urbanisation seriously, as Kerala’s pace of growth is higher than the national average. The chief minister described Kerala as a landscape where big cities and small towns are merging into a continuous stretch of urban life.
He stressed that while urbanisation brings opportunity, it also demands solutions for poverty, waste management, environment and jobs. As part of the state’s social drive, nearly 500,000 houses have been completed under the LIFE Mission. Kerala, he added, will be declared free of extreme poverty on Kerala Piravi Day.
