Complete work on Lucknow Metro rail by March: Vijay Goel - Hindustan Times
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Complete work on Lucknow Metro rail by March: Vijay Goel

Hindustan Times, Lucknow | ByTariq Khan
Apr 21, 2018 04:43 PM IST

With an eye on the Lok Sabha polls, Union minister of state for programme implementation Vijay Goel on Friday asked Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation to expedite work on the project and complete it by or before March 2018.

With an eye on the Lok Sabha polls, Union minister of state for programme implementation Vijay Goel on Friday asked Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) to expedite work on the project and complete it by or before March 2018.

Union minister Vijay Goel inspects a model at the Lucknow metro office in Lucknow.(HT Photo)
Union minister Vijay Goel inspects a model at the Lucknow metro office in Lucknow.(HT Photo)

“I am fully satisfied with the pace of work. Lucknow Metro Rail is pride of the city,” said Goel who met LMRC and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials here to review Metro Rail and Lucknow outer Ring Road projects. 

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“Work on the 8.50 kilometre-long priority section of Metro was completed in less than years time, which is a remarkable achievement in itself as it saved both time and money,” he said. The LMRC has set April 2019 deadline for completing work on the remaining 13.50 kilometre stretch of the North-South corridor. But I have asked them to complete it by March or before that, if possible,” the minister said.

Incidentally, this was Goel’s first visit to have a look at the Lucknow Metro Rail and he tried to justify his stock-taking saying the project was a joint-venture of the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government.  The minister said initially a train-set of four-coaches was being used on the priority section but this could be enhanced in the future by two additional coaches depending on the ridership. He praised the LMRC officials, most of whom, he said, had been drawn from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and were hence experienced hands. 

On the upcoming 94-kilometer Lucknow Outer Ring Road being developed at a cost of 2,573 crore, the MoS said there were some teething troubles related to land acquisition and shifting of utilities, specially high tension power-lines.

Goel, who also holds the charge of parliamentary affairs and statistics, said work on the outer ring road would be completed in four phases and the entire project would be completed by March 2021. “The upcoming 14.7 kilometre stretch of the ring road linking Kursi Road with Faizabad Road would be ready by August 2018 at a cost of 388 crore,” he said. Next would be 14.7 kilometer stretch (cost 305 crore) between Kursi Road and Sitapur that would become functional by December 2019. Work on the two bigger stretches - 32 kilometer between Sultanpur Road and Behta (cost 899 crore) and the 32 kilometer road linking Behta with Sitapur Road (cost 981 crore) would be completed by February 2021 and March 2021 respectively.

The minister said work on the four-laning of 127 kilometer National Highway 56 would commence soon. “The no objection of the forest department has been received and   work to acquire 284 hectare land was underway,” he said adding that the highway would be developed at a cost of 2016 crore by November 2019.

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