Cities with over 2 milion may get Metro
Posted: Fri Nov 18 2011, 01:19 hrs New Delhi:Indian Express
Cities with a population of over two million can now hope to get a metro system of their own. The government is drawing up a list of such cities to examine the possibility of introducing the urban transport option in these places. Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday announced that cities such as Nagpur, Ludhiana, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore, Bhopal and Chandigarh are being considered for a metro system.
Nath said that in cities where metro projects are already being implemented, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Bangalore, further corridors are being planned so that the next phases are executed quickly.
Even as the Mumbai Metro runs behind schedule, the government is considering Line III from Colaba to Mahim/Bandra, a 20.4 km stretch at the cost of Rs 12,015 crore. Inter-ministerial consultations on the detailed project report are underway.
The process to obtain viability gap funding for the next phases of metro projects in Jaipur and Bangalore is also underway and a proposal for a 9 km extension of the Chennai Metro’s Line I has been received by the Ministry of Urban Development.
Meanwhile, detailed project reports (DPR) for Ludhiana, Pune, Ahmedabad and Lucknow have been prepared while those for Indore, Bhopal and Chandigarh are under preparation. Nath said he has also written to the Maharashtra Chief Minister to initiate work on a DPR for Nagpur. “The Centre will bear 50 per cent of the cost of preparing the DPRs for metro rail systems in all cities with a population of more than two million,” Nath said.
“With a large number of metro projects already underway, the government has called for the setting up of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority to achieve institutional, infrastructure and operational integration, a national common mobility card for fare integration and proper pedestrian and cycling facilities in the catchment areas of all metro stations as well as introduction of Public Bicycle Scheme.”
“We are also trying to promote indigenisation and have asked the Delhi Metro to purchase most of their equipment through manufacturing facilities in the country. We will make this condition mandatory in all future metro projects,” Nath said.
Since Metro is a Central subject, all metro rail projects shall be taken up under the Central Metro Acts only.
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