widening curves and stretches where the metro's viaduct is positioned outside the median. Apart from the above, 102.50 cents of land is required for preparatory works, and 94 hectares in Muttom and 20 hectares of land in Kakkanad is to be acquired for developing the land for commercial use . The original plan was to acquire about 31.9217 hectares of land in Ernakulam, Elamkulam, Poonithura, Thrikkakara North, Edappally South and Aluva West. Out of this approximately, 17 hectares was for the Muttom coach maintenance depot. The remaining land was required for the construction of metro stations. Approximately, 15 hectares out of the required 31.92 was government-owned land. However, the land required for parking at stations, road widening and straightening curves along the alignment was not assessed in the original plan. The addition of parking lots increased the amount of land required by 8.4874 hectares. The district-level purchase committee fixed the maximum compensation for land acquisition at 5.2 million percent for the land to be acquired for preparatory works. The district administration can take ownership of land only after paying at least 80% of the price. Land acquisition for a foot overbridge near the KSRTC main depot will cost 2.8 million percent and land for the approach road of the Ponnurunni railway overbridge will be acquired at 1850,000 percent. The prices have been approved by the State Empowered Committee. The total estimated cost of land acquisition is 11.10 billion., higher than the 6.72 billion estimated as per the original plan. The Kadavanthra station was built on the land which housed GCDA's Nandanam park near the canal. Part of the land required was obtained from the Greater Cochin Development Authority on 13 February 2014. The remaining land was owned by the KSEB and was acquired separately. When the Railways demanded 3 billion for a 35-year lease of 4,360 square metres of land intended as the location of Ernakulam South metro station and other facilities, KMRL officials rejected the offer, as 3 billion worked out to about 8% of the metro project's total cost. The station was instead built on land owned by the Kochi Corporation near Ernakulam Girls' High School, while the Operations Control Centre was built in Muttom. The cost for the station was 100 million. Construction Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the project on 13 September 2012. Construction work on the Kochi Metro rail project