Once again the picture is not clear about the Tricity Metro project connecting Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. In response to a question asked in the Lok Sabha, the Central Government has made it clear that the responsibility of this project lies entirely with the Chandigarh Administration and till now the Center has not received the detailed report (DPR) of this project.
MP Manish Tiwari had asked several questions in the Lok Sabha regarding the Metro project, in which answers were sought about the current status of the project, the arrangement of money and the role of the Central Government.
In response to this, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that planning and implementing urban transport schemes like Metro is the responsibility of the concerned state or UT.
He informed that the Center has issued guidelines under the National Urban Transport Policy of 2006, Metro Rail Policy of 2017 and Transit Oriented Development Policy, on the basis of which the state or UT administration can prepare DPR and send the proposal to the Center.
Questions raised on RITES report
The committee formed to discuss the need for the Tricity Metro project is constantly raising questions on the report prepared by RITES. In the last meeting held in February 2024, the credibility of the study report presented was also doubted. After this, the committee recommended that the actual and estimated figures of metro ridership should be checked on the basis of projects of other cities and CAG report.
Only 3 meetings in 2 years
The central government constituted the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) on 28 April 2023 for the Chandigarh Tricity Metro project. However, only 3 meetings have been held so far. The first was on 18 July 2023, the second on 13 December 2023 and the third on 2 September 2024.
The possibilities and challenges of the metro project were discussed in these meetings. During the third meeting, the administration decided that RITES Limited would once again study the financial feasibility.
Committee formed under the chairmanship of Haryana official
On November 1, 2024, a new committee was formed under the chairmanship of a senior Haryana official, which includes officials from Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. This committee will assess the economic feasibility of the Tricity Metro in consultation with RITES and other stakeholders.
