State government calls for meeting to discuss funding for metro extension project in Ghaziabad
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
The Uttar Pradesh government has called a meeting of various departments to discuss funding issues for the two proposed Metro extensions in Ghaziabad — Mohan Nagar to Vaishali and Sector 62 Noida to Sahibabad. The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) officials said the meeting was scheduled for May 2.
According to the budget estimate provided by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in January 2020, 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.
“The meeting has been called by the additional chief secretary (housing and urban planning), after the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, directed us to resend the detailed project reports to Lucknow. We requested state funding for the project, but it was initially denied,” said GDA chief engineer Rakesh Kumar Gupta.
GDA is facing a funding crisis after obtaining two loans totalling approximately ₹1,500 crore to fund the Hindon elevated road and to pay farmers increased land compensation for the Madhuban Bapudham project, said officials aware of the matter.
According to officials, the government denied GDA state funding earlier in January.
GDA has been considering various options for connecting the two Metro extensions for the past year and a half due to a lack of funds. During this time, GDA officials proposed a ropeway link connection and even Metrolite - a light rail urban transit system for cities with low ridership that can also serve as a feeder system for 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 other modes of transportation opposed these alternatives. GDA admitted in December 2022 that Metro connectivity on the two routes would be the best option.
According to an official familiar with the development, things are now moving in a positive direction. “We hope that the two projects will receive government funding or contributions from various departments, similar to what happened with the Red Line extension (Dilshad Garden to New Bus Adda),” said the official, who asked not to be identified.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the two Metro extensions may be on the development agenda for the upcoming local body elections and the general elections in 2024.
The lines from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and Noida Sector 62 to Sahibabad will link Ghaziabad’s Red Line to the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line.
