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Metro project: No tangible reason for Punjab to drag its feet, says HC
Haryana has already agreed to construct a depot in Sector 27, Panchkula. However, Punjab has not been able to clear its stand
There is no tangible reason as such for Punjab to “drag its feet” on providing the necessary infrastructure for commission of Metro project in tricity, the Punjab and Haryana high court has said.
“..it is going to be a beneficiary of the said mobility plan which will not only benefitthe people visiting Chandigarh but also the officials who have to travel to Chandigarh from distant parts of Punjab,” the bench of acting chief justiceGS Sandhawalia and justice Lapita Banerji observed during the resumed hearing of a plea on the infrastructure issues of tricity.
The court was reacting to the submissions of Amrinder Singh, the amicus curiae in the case, who had referred to reports that UT administration was to initiate Metro work in April but it has been delayed as the Punjab government is yet to give its nod for release of 50 acres in New Chandigarh for construction of a depot. Functions such as inspection and maintenance are carried out in Metro depots.
“The concept as such of providing seamless access into the heart of the city by way of the proposal as such needs to be acted upon and given a commensurate effect as Chandigarh has already lost out for a decade as such only on account of the feasibility aspect being looked into on account of lack of consensus,” the bench remarked seeking affidavits from UT and Punjab by the adjourned date.
Haryana has already agreed to construct a depot in Sector 27, Panchkula. However, Punjab has not been able to clear its stand. The Alignment Option Report readied by RITES has listed three corridors as part of Phase 1, crisscrossing through Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Among them, the one along Madhya Marg, which falls in Chandigarh’s heritage sectors (1 to 30), will be completely elevated 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. However, opting for underground corridors is projected to increase the expenditure by nearly ₹8,000 crore, bringing the total project outlay to around ₹19,000 crore.
The final DPR is yet to be submitted by the RITES.
Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) sub-panel in January said Metro project should be entirely underground. While an elevated Metro network will impact Chandigarh’s heritage and aesthetic appeal, the underground tracks will increase the project cost by over 70%. This issue was also brought before the court by the amicus curiae.
“We are also informed that the issues of cost overruns on providing the underground transit facility for Metro coaches and further providing facilities for parking of coaches in the near vicinity also need to be elaborated by the Union Territory Chandigarh as well as the states of Punjab and Haryana by filing appropriate affidavits,” the bench recorded posting the matter for further hearing on May 13.
