'Not just about connectivity': Chandigarh MP Tewari bats for Metro for 'quad cities' to unlock economic potential

Chandigarh Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari today said that the Mass Rapid Transport Project (MRTS) for Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and New Chandigarh was not merely a connectivity project. It would unlock the economic potential of the region and act as a mercantile multiplier, igniting and unleashing the creative potential of these 'quad cities', he added.

The fear that Chandigarh would be swamped by people from across the region if a Metro project is rolled out is unrealistic, he said.

In a post on X, Tewari said unfortunately, the real economic growth was on the periphery of Chandigarh and not in the city itself and therefore, people from Chandigarh would travel for work to the adjoining areas in the future, not vice-versa.

“Given that the Western border of India is closed for the foreseeable future, there is hardly any agriculture, heavy industry or even a serious service sector in the Quad city region- the Metro project can transform these four cities into a Raleigh-Durham-Chapel hill like Research Triangle region as it is in North Carolina in the United States,” he wrote.

Given the traffic situation as it exists in and around Chandigarh in 2026, imagine what it would be 2036, he questioned.

“If the states of Punjab & Haryana claim Chandigarh as their capital then both these states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh should pony up to integrate these four Quad Cities into a seamless Metropolitan area by putting their money where there mouth is - that is funding and bringing to fruition THE METRO PROJECT- that RITES has twice held to be feasible,” he wrote.

The Mass Rapid Transport Project ( MRTS) for Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and New Chandigarh is not merely a connectivity project.

It will unlock the economic potential of this region and act as a mercantile multiplier igniting and unleashing the creative potential of these…

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) April 14, 2026