Kochi Corporation writes to Railways seeking land lease for High Court parking lot

The Kochi Corporation has written to Southern Railway to lease land it owns near the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary to set up a parking lot for the Kerala High Court.

This comes after an earlier proposal by Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) to set up a multi-level robotic parking facility in the High Court premises saw little progress. The proposal, which was submitted a few years ago at the request of the High Court, provided for parking spaces for approximately 250 cars. ČSML even submitted a detailed location plan and a demolition plan for the old building to the judicial authorities for approval.

Hibi Eden, MP, recalled meeting the then Chief Justice S. Manikumar to discuss the project. The Registrar of the High Court was asked to earmark land for the facility, but the plan was ultimately shelved. Had this been implemented, Mr Eden said, railway land falling within the Mangalavanam buffer zone could have been spared. He added that he would write to the Railways not to allocate the land for any purpose other than the development of the railway.

The corporation’s letter to the Railways followed discussions at the last council meeting to avoid contempt of court proceedings for failure to comply with a Supreme Court directive to set up parking facilities. “The long-term lease should be borne by the state, because otherwise it would drain our resources. If that doesn’t happen, we will be forced to collect parking fees,” said Mayor VK Minimol.

PM Naseema, chairman of the Standing Committee on City Planning, pointed out that even if the corporation is spared the rental amount, it will still have to bear the maintenance cost.

Former Mayor M. Anilkumar recalled that the United Democratic Front, then in opposition, opposed the move when it was first mooted and insisted that the matter be taken up with Mr. Eden. He emphasized that it was the responsibility of the state government to resolve the parking problem at the Supreme Court building it had built. He added that alternative land could be identified for the proposed facility as it is necessary to curb construction around the ecologically sensitive Mangalavanam.

Published – 14 Jul 2026 21:36 IST