UT to take up Metro, drug issues with Shah

The UT Administration is likely to take up the issues of drug trafficking and Metro project at the 32nd Northern Zonal Council (NZC) meeting to be held at Surajkund in Faridabad district of Haryana on November 17.

According to officials, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, UT Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad and Home Secretary Mandip Singh Brar are likely to take part in the meeting, which will be chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.

To put an end to smuggling of drugs in the region, a proper coordination among northern states was a must, said officials, and added that the Metro project was another interstate issue that needed to be discussed with the stakeholders before going for a detailed project report (DPR).

Recently, the UT Chief Secretary had stated that work was underway to prepare the Metro DPR. In the absence of the report, it would be difficult to assess the project’s feasibility. All aspects could be examined only after the DPR was ready, he said, and instructed officials to expedite the report.

The progress of the Metro plan has slowed down over the past a year and a half. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also suggested exploring alternative options such as a pod taxi network. MP Manish Tewari recently met Khattar, emphasising that the project would progress only under his personal supervision.