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Ambitious plan puts city on metro track
LUCKNOW COULD boast of a metro rail network in the next five years and may also have two underground multi-storey parking lots in Hazratganj, besides a number of flyovers. All this, if the Rs 3,794.71-crore city development plan got finalised by the Centre next month.
LUCKNOW COULD boast of a metro rail network in the next five years and may also have two underground multi-storey parking lots in Hazratganj, besides a number of flyovers. All this, if the Rs 3,794.71-crore city development plan got finalised by the Centre next month.
In the multi-crore plan, Rs 1,522.60 crore has been earmarked for transport, a metro train network, flyovers and wider roads. The city development plan for seven cities of the State had finally been submitted to the Centre, said special secretary urban development SP Singh, adding, “Water and Sanitation Programme South Asia wing of World Bank had appointed Feedback ventures for preparing the report in Lucknow.”
According to Singh, the detailed project report (DPR) would be prepared, once the Centre approved the CDP. “We have stressed development of the cities through this project and we have tried to address all problems of the city in it.”
According to city coordinator Feedback ventures Akanksha Srivastava, Lucknow has submitted a plan of Rs 3,794.71 crore, while Agra has submitted one of Rs 7,373.79 crore, followed by Varanasi at Rs 2,784.41 crore, Kanpur Rs 2,656.60 crore, Allahabad Rs 2,153.97 crore, Meerut Rs 1,329.17 crore, and Mathura a plan of Rs 1,697.87 crore.
According to Akanksha, the specialty of Lucknow’s plan is its stress on road, transport, metro train planning , water supply, drainage, sewer and parking. While other cities have focused only on roads and water supply. No one has thought of a good parking system besides good roads, she says.
The metro train plan has been included in the plan of Rs 1,522.60 crore for the transport and roads. If things go well, then Lucknowites could soon enjoy a good metro train network besides wider roads, flyovers and ROB’s.
Akanksha said, “Lucknow has proposed a plan of Rs 675.57 crore for water supply, in which there is a proposal of setting up third and fourth water works. Which is badly required for the growing city.”
The State capital has decided to build sewer line in every part of the city through a Rs 629.96 crore-plan devised by the Jal Sansthan. Lucknow has proposed to upgrade the drainage system with a plan of Rs 444.29 crore, focusing on new areas like Jankipuram, Sitapur road, Triveni Nagar, Alambagh and areas prone to epidemics.
Interestingly, Lucknow is the only city that has planned parking investments with a Rs 21.79-crore plan for parking facilities, which includes two proposals of underground parking in Hazratganj.
Special secretary urban development SP Singh, “The city will have to arrange 20 per cent of the total amount to be spent in the projects. 50 per cent would be provided by the Centre, while State Government would be funding 30 per cent of these projects as per the directives of the JNURM.”
