Chandigarh: The Metro project will have two corridors with a total length of 37.57 km. The east-west corridor will be from the transport terminal in Mohali to the grain market in Panchkula.The north-east corridor will stretch from Capitol Complex in Sector 9 to Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan in Sohana.It is proposed that within the sectoral grid of Chandigarh, the Metro will run underground keeping in view the heritage of the city. The first corridor is expected to be operational by 2018.
The two Metro corridors planned from Mullanpur to Panchkula and Chandigarh to Sohana could be extended further in a phased manner to facilitate more people of adjoining and nearby areas.
A senior official of the ministry of urban development told the project would be expanded on the lines of Delhi-NCR to facilitate optimum passengers as Chandigarh and its nearby areas have grown immensely.
“As the MoU for the Chandigarh Metro project has been finally signed after much deliberation and time, it is just the beginning. The government plans such projects with a futuristic goal to provide the facility to a large number of public and Chandigarh Metro falls in the same category. This project will definitely cover more areas of Mohali, Panchkula and others in a phased manner. Since Greater Chandigarh Transport Corporation (GCTC) has been formed having all the stakeholders, it will be their prime responsibility to plan things, like how much area they want to cover in each phase, accordingly. Such projects require the approval of the cabinet,” the official said.
UT adviser Vijay Kumar Dev said, “Yes, this is fact as there is an enabling provision in this regard, which will be applied as we go along the project.”
Haryana additional chief secretary P Ragvendra Rao, who signed the MoU on behalf of Haryana on Thursday, said, “The project is not just limited to Metro, but other transport needs like buses and all those aspects that help a maximum number of people. This is fact that the project will stretch in future in a phased manner to provide facility to as many as people as we can. The project is for many years and all possibilities are open. The GCTC has been formed to look into all such aspects from time to time”,
Sources said the process of selection of the managing director of the GCTC would begin soon.