Gurugram Metro Gets CM Manohar Lal Khattar Nod, to be Ready by 2025

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday approved the detailed project report (DPR) for Gurugram metro. Although the DPR mentions June 2025 as the deadline for commissioning of the metro link, Khattar asked for expediting it to 2024. He was discussing the DPR with several state government agencies in Chandigarh on Monday at a GMDA meeting, its fourth since inception in 2017.

According to the official release shared by the government on Monday, the total cost of the project is expected to be around Rs 5,126 crore. The metro link will start at Huda City Centre, pass via Subhash Chowk, Sector 10, Sector 23, and Udyog Vihar to then connect with Cyber city.

“A spur was proposed from Basai to Dwarka Expressway, and an extension from Sector 23 to Cyber city via Udyog Vihar, by the CM earlier this year. We’re waiting for its approval from the central government,” said a senior GMDA official.

The appointment of interim consultants is expected to be done by September, following which, the central government approval is expected by December 2019.

“Civil works for the project are expected to commence in June next year, and the metro will be commissioned by June 2025,” said the official.

Most of the land required for the project is already with the state government, barring around 0.8 acre in Sector 4, which belongs to private owners, who will have to be rehabilitated for the project.

Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation Limited (HMRTC) expects to take up the metro project as a Special Project Vehicle, though some sub-components of its operation and maintenance may be carried out as a Private-Public Partnership (PPP).

While HMRTC will have the mandate and responsibility of the project, the second level will be a project management team involving private consultants.

“A special team under chairmanship of the state chief secretary will be constituted to oversee and resolve land and other high-level issues the project is expected to face during implementation,” reads the document, accessed by TOI

An internal analysis by authorities reveal that ridership of 5.49 lakh passengers is expected per day in 2025, which is expected to increase to 6.85 lakh passenger trips by 2031 and finally, 8.79 lakh passenger trips in 2041.

The draft DPR also mentions that revenue earned by the metro will be of two types — fare and non-fare (from advertisements, leasing of properties, etc).

Launched in 2016, two years after Khattar took charge, the project DPR was presented by HMRTC in February 2019, days after it was prepared by RITES, who missed their deadline of October 2018 by some months.

According to officials, the draft DPR was delayed by the later additions — the extensions to Dwarka Expressway and Cyber city.

With the draft now approved by the CM, all partners have been asked to submit concerns. Work on the project has gathered speed over the past six months.

Source : TOI