Lok Sabha passes bill to extend Metro

The Lok Sabha today passed a bill to facilitate extension of the Delhi Metro rail to the national capital region, including the satellite towns of Noida and Gurgaon.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill to facilitate extension of the Delhi Metro rail to the national capital region, including the satellite towns of Noida and Gurgaon.

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Moving the Metro Railways (Amendment) Bill that was unanimously passed later, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said it was necessary that legal cover be accorded to constructing, maintaining and operating the rail services in Noida and Gurgaon, work for which is in an advanced stage.

"It is also important in view of the Commonwealth Games in October 2010, while the Metro service in Noida is scheduled to be commissioned by August 30, 2009," he said.

Thanking the opposition for allowing the bill to be passed unanimously, Reddy said: "This bill is intended to usher in a metro revolution."

Similarly, the legislation would also help provide legal cover for Metro services, which were under various stages of consideration in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai.

The bill seeks to amend the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, and the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002.