Wait for Metro project gets longer

The tricity Metro project is likely to get delayed as the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), Chandigarh, is yet to submit the detailed project report (DPR) to the Union Government.

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In response to a question by city MP Manish Tewari seeking details of the deliberations, conclusions and the number of meetings convened by the UMTA since its inception, Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, said the authority was constituted on April 28, 2023, and its first three meetings were held on July 18, December 13, 2023, and September 2 last year.

Tewari also sought to know whether the UMTA re-appointed Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) for a fresh feasibility and financial viability study of the Chandigarh Tricity Metro even as it had earlier found the project financially viable. If so, what were the details and the reasons for commissioning the new study, he asked.

The minister stated that in pursuance to the decision taken in the third meeting of the UMTA, which was held under the chairmanship of the UT Administrator, a committee, vide notification dated November 1, 2024, was constituted to study the feasibility of the project, to ascertain the financial viability of Metro in Chandigarh.

Tewari then asked whether the government reviewed the latest RITES report and if so, what were the key findings confirming the project’s viability thereof. He sought to know the current position of the government on the Chandigarh Tricity Metro project in light of the RITES findings that it was techno-economically feasible. Whether the project was considered viable, and if it was the case, what was the proposed timeline for financial closure, requisite approvals and implementation of the project, he asked.

In reply, the minister stated that the Central Government considered financial assistance to urban rail-based system in view of the feasibility of the proposal and availability of resources, as and when posed by the state government or UT Administration. “Presently, no detailed project report of the Metro project in Chandigarh has been submitted to the Central Government,” he added.