July 5, 2024: The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has given in-principle approval to the proposed metro project in Chandigarh to be underground in the heritage sectors of the city. The UT Administration had recommended that the proposed metro project for the city should be mainly underground to preserve the city’s aesthetic structure.
The decision has been made in line with the recommendations of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee’s sub-panel, the MoHUA has given its nod to running the Metro lines in heritage sectors (1 to 30) fully underground.
According to officials, as mentioned in media reports, with the project going underground in heritage sectors, the cost will go up by Rs 8,000 crore, which means the total project cost will be nearly Rs 19,000 crore.
As mentioned in reports, in January 2023, the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee sub-panel, while citing the heritage status of the city, had pushed for underground corridors in Sectors 1 to 30. This was in contrast to the alignment option report prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES). According to the report, the 154-km metro network proposed across the Tricity was to mostly have elevated tracks and stations. Of the total 20 km network proposed in Chandigarh, nearly 8 km is elevated, which would alter Chandigarh’s aesthetic landscape.
The report has listed three corridors as part of Phase 1, crisscrossing through Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Among them, the one along the Madhya Marg, which falls in Chandigarh’s heritage sectors (1 to 30), will now be completely underground while the other two will be mostly elevated and partly underground. Phase 2, planned in Mohali and Panchkula, will also have a mostly elevated network. Of the total cost, 20% will be paid by Haryana and Punjab, 20% by the Centre, and the remaining 60% by the lending agency.
The first phase comprises three routes – Sultanpur, New Chandigarh to Sector 28, Panchkula (34 km); Sukhna Lake to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali ISBT and Chandigarh airport (41.20 km) and from Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39 to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13.30 km), apart from a 2.5 km long depot entry. These are expected to be completed by 2034.
In Phase 2, which will be developed after 2034, a 25 km metro has been proposed on Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar (5 km) and ISBT Zirakpur to Pinjore (20 km), also with a mostly elevated network.
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