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FOSWAC opposes metro proposal to decongest Chandigarh
Flagging concerns over the proposal, FOSWAC members said most metros are operating at a loss and we do not need the same for Chandigarh
Members of the Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC), at their monthly executive meeting, on Sunday spoke against the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) recommendation of setting up a metro network to decongest the city.
Speaking about the same, FOSWAC chairperson Baljinder Singh Bittu said, “What happened to the survey that was earlier conducted in the city? The same administration is allowing 30,000 autos on the city’s roads and now wants to spend the taxpayers’ money on a system that we don’t need.”
He added that the residents’ welfare associations (RWA) must rally together and seek relevant information from the various departments to further substantiate their point.
MIG-1 Houses Sector 40 RWA general secretary SK Khosla echoed the sentiment, saying, “When we look at other cities that have metros, they have populations of over 50 lakh and over a much larger area. When the proposal floated back in 2009 was rejected, why is it again being considered? Most metros are operating at a loss and we do not need the same for our city.”
Pardeep Chopraof the Secretary Citizens’ Association Sector 21, meanwhile, said the administration should look at other means to decongest the city roads.
Other issues related to garbage collection, the Sector 38-West dumping ground and the Chandigarh Housing Board were also discussed at the meeting
