The State’s urban development and housing minister Madan Kaushik has directed officials to set a date in the current month regarding a presentation on Uttarakhand’s ambitious metro rail project to be executed at a cost of about Rs 25,000 crore.
The presentation will be made in front of the Chief Minister, the Vidhan Sabha Speaker and MlAs of the project area, said the minister.
He also directed the additional secretary to prepare a proposal for the State cabinet before start of the project to combine the project areas Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Doiwala, Raipur and Munikireti and declare the amalgamation a metropolitan area. Kaushik issued these directions while chairing a meeting on construction of the metro rail project with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation director (business development) SD Sharma, Uttarakhand Metro Rail Urban Infrastructure and Building Construction Corporation limited managing director Jitendra Tyagi, state additional secretary Sushil Kumar and other officials concerned here on Tuesday.
Kaushik directed the additional secretary to fix a date this month for a meeting regarding presentation on the metro rail project so that the ideas of the CM, Vidhan Sabha speaker and other public representatives concerned can be incorporated in the designing of the project. The minister discussed in details the estimates and proposed feeding pattern for the ambitious project costing Rs 25,000 crore.
The three and a half year period deadline for proper completion of the project through contract with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation should be met so that the people can benefit from the project as intended.
The minister also discussed the proposed land for two depots needed for the project- IDPl Rishikesh and Bhaniyawala. With officials of the executing agency informing that 14 hectare area will be required for each of the depots, the housing minister directed the additional secretary of housing to take necessary action and inform him about the progress report consistently. He directed the Uttarakhand Metro Rail Urban Infrastructure and Building Construction Corporation limited managing director to call a meeting of the board soon.
He also directed the additional secretary to facilitate the required technical staff for the state’s corporation. Kaushik further directed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation business development director to give final shape to the project design by July 31 this year.
The minister was informed that while about 68 kilometre length of the metro rail track will be elevated, about five kilometres of the rail will be underground railway track.