Chandigarh Metro gets in-principle approval from State Governments

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit chaired the meeting at the Union territory secretariat in Sector 9, Chandigarh. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Punjab Minister Anmol Gagan Maan along with UT Adviser Dharam Pal attended the meeting. Chief Secretaries of both Punjab and Haryana were also joined the meeting.

The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the report of RITES Ltd that proposed a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) spread across Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. The report outlined a mobility plan to decongest traffic in the region.

The RITES report suggested that the first phase of the Metro Rail system would consist of three corridors in Chandigarh. Of the total 39.2 km proposed, 16 km will be underground, while the remaining elevated.

Dharam Pal said that the proposed Metro would be built in non-heritage sectors, and the Administration was comfortable with the idea. Punjab and Haryana were brought into the discussion as the proposed Metro would also pass through their respective districts of Mohali and Panchkula.

During the meeting, alternate routes for the Metro project were suggested by stakeholders for seamless traffic management in the tricity, such as Housing Board Chowk to Panjab University and PGIMER and Chandigarh airport.

The metro rail project was first proposed for Chandigarh in 2009 and the detailed project report (DPR) was prepared in 2012 after spending Rs 1.5 crore. Surveys were conducted and the first phase was to begin in 2013. But in 2014, Member of Parliament Kirron Kher opposed it, stating that it will uproot the city, before it was ultimately rejected by the Ministry of Hhome Affairs in 2017.