It was informed that in pursuance to the decision taken in the third meeting of UMTA, under the chairmanship of the UT administrator, a committee was constituted to study the feasibility of the Metro project to ascertain its financial viability in coordination with RITES Limited and other stakeholders
No detailed project report (DPR) of the Tricity Metro project in Chandigarh has been submitted to the central government, the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs has informed the Parliament.
The Union ministry, in response to a question on viability of the Chandigarh Tricity Metro project, stated that the United Metropolitan Transportation Authority (UMTA) was constituted on April 28, 2023. The first, second and third meetings of UMTA were held on July 18, 2023, December 13, 2023, and then subsequently on September 2, 2024.
It was informed that in pursuance to the decision taken in the third meeting of UMTA, under the chairmanship of the UT administrator, a committee was constituted to study the feasibility of the Metro project to ascertain its financial viability in coordination with RITES Limited and other stakeholders.
It was stated that the UT administration was responsible for planning, initiating and developing urban transport infrastructure, including integration among various modes of public transport in the city. Central government has formulated National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), 2006, Metro Rail Policy, 2017, and Transit Oriented Development Policy, 2017, which act as a guide to state governments/UT administrations for integrated planning and implementation of urban transport systems. Central government considers financial assistance to urban rail-based system based on feasibility of the proposal and availability of resources, as and when posed by the concerned state governments/UT administrations.
City MP Manish Tewari stated that it was unfortunate that even though the latest RITES survey had reported that the project was financially viable, the UMTA had sent no proposal to the central government for a financial closure on the project.
Last year also, in August, the Union ministry in response to a question raised by Tewari regarding the Metro project in the Parliament had similarly replied that no proposal for the project had been submitted to them by the Chandigarh administration.
