Centre gives nod, Metro to run underground in Chandigarh’s heritage sectors
The approval came during the Union ministry’s recent meeting with officers of the Chandigarh administration in Delhi
In line with the recommendations of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee’s sub-panel, the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) has given its nod to running the Metro lines in heritage sectors (1 to 30) fully underground.
The approval came during the ministry’s recent meeting with officers of the UT administration in Delhi.
A senior official of the UT administration, who was part of the meeting, said, “The ministry has given its approval; now we are waiting for the minutes-of-the-meeting. Also, with the project going underground in heritage sectors, the cost will go up by ₹8,000 crore, which means the total project cost will be nearly ₹19,000 crore.”
In January this year, the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee sub-panel, while citing the heritage status of the city, had pushed for underground corridors in Sectors 1 to 30. This was in contrast to the alignment option report, prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), according to which, the 154-km Metro network proposed across the tricity was to mostly have elevated tracks and stations. Of the total 20 km network proposed in Chandigarh, approximately 8 km is elevated, which would alter Chandigarh’s aesthetic landscape.
The report has listed three corridors as part of Phase 1, crisscrossing through Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. Among them, the one along the Madhya Marg, which falls in Chandigarh’s heritage sectors (1 to 30), will now be completely underground, while the other two will be mostly elevated and partly underground. Phase 2, planned in Mohali and Panchkula, will also have a mostly elevated network. Of the total cost, 20% will be paid by Haryana and Punjab, 20% by the Centre, and the remaining 60% by the lending agency.
The first phase includes three routes: Sultanpur, New Chandigarh, to Sector 28, Panchkula (34 km); Sukhna Lake to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali ISBT and Chandigarh airport (41.20 km); and from Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13.30 km), apart from a 2.5 km long depot entry. These are expected to be completed by 2034.
In Phase 2, which will be developed after 2034, a 25 km metro has been proposed on Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar (5 km) and ISBT Zirakpur to Pinjore (20 km), also with a mostly elevated network.
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Punjab’s delay in releasing land
stops metro project in its tracks
With Punjab government yet to give its nod for the release of 50 acres in New Chandigarh for the construction of a depot, the plan to start the work of the Metro project this year will not materialise. While the UT has been awaiting a decision for months, the Punjab government has now said it will take a call on the matter soon. Functions such as inspection and maintenance are to be carried out in Metro depots. According to the Alternative Analysis Report (AAR) prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), the project includes a depot for which 50 acres are required in New Chandigarh.