On deputy CM’s order, Ghaziabad sends reports of two Metro extensions to govt

Keshav Prasad Maurya’s instructions had come on Wednesday when he visited Ghaziabad for a review meeting ahead of local body polls next month

As Uttar Pradesh prepares for local body elections, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), on the directions of deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, sent the state government detailed project reports for the two Metro extensions from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and Noida Sector 62 to Sahibabad on Thursday, hoping to get funding for the project. The government had denied GDA funding for this project in January.

A Metro train on the tracks near Hindon River Metro Station in Ghaziabad Thursday. The two Metro extensions for which the development authority needs funds are from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and Noida Sector 62 to Sahibabad. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“We had sent detailed project reports for the two Metro extensions to the state government in January this year, but they had denied us funding. So on Wednesday, the deputy chief minister ordered us to send the reports again, and we have now done so, hoping that the government will make an effort to fund the projects,” said Brijesh Kumar, secretary, GDA.

Maurya’s instructions had come on Wednesday when he visited Ghaziabad for a review meeting ahead of local body polls next month.

GDA needs ₹1,517 crore for the Noida Sector 62 to Sahibabad route and ₹1,808.22 crore for the Vaishali to Mohan Nagar route, according to the budget estimate given by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to GDA in January 2020.

“The two projects would require state funding to proceed. The state has funded Metro projects in other cities such as Lucknow and Kanpur,” said Rakesh Kumar Gupta, chief engineer of GDA.

Due to a lack of funds, GDA has been considering various options for connecting the two Metro extensions for the past year and a half. During this time, GDA officials proposed a ropeway link connection and even considered Metrolite – a light rail urban transit system for cities with lower ridership, which can also be a feeder system for the existing Metro systems, and Metro Neo – a low-cost mass rapid transit system for tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

Residents who preferred Metro connectivity over alternative modes of transportation opposed these options. In December 2022, GDA admitted that Metro connectivity on the two routes would be the best option.

GDA is facing a funding crisis after obtaining two loans totaling approximately ₹1,500 crore to fund the Hindon elevated road as well as to pay the increased land compensation to farmers for the Madhuban Bapudham project.

“If the deputy chief minister has requested detailed project reports, this is a positive development because the two extensions may not be built without state funding. The reports were requested prior to the local government elections, and the government must provide residents with concrete options. Otherwise, it may appear to be a poll gimmick,” said Mohan Sangwan, general secretary of the Confederation of Trans-Hindon resident welfare associations.

The Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and Noida Sector 62 to Sahibabad lines will connect Ghaziabad’s Red Line to the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line.