Centre promises Metro for cities with 20 lakh population

New Delhi, Nov 18: With Bangalore getting its own Metro train service recently, other cities too have hope after Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath announced that cities having a population of 20 lakh or more will have the Metro facility.

Speaking at a function, Kamal Nath said that the effort is to have an efficient transit system on par with the growing needs of the country. He added that Phase Four of the Delhi Metro will commence soon which will add 104 Kilometres to the Metro and seven new lines.

Kamal Nath said, "Government has sanctioned Rs 35, 242 crore for phase III Metro rail project in Delhi. This is the largest urban infrastructure project in the country till date. Phase four of the Metro project will be ready by 2016. Once this project is complete, Metro will carry 40 lakh passengers every day."

With the project report on Ahmedabad and Lucknow Metro rail ready, survey is underway for the project for the Indore, Chandigarh and Bhopal Metro rail. On the Kochi metro project, the Minister said that the proposal will be put before the Cabinet to build the 25.3-km network in Kerala.

The Minister also proposed a standardisation of all Metro rail systems and to establish a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority to create a National Common Mobility Card for fare integration. Kamal Nath stated, "Since Metro Railway is a Railway which is a Central subject, it has been decided that all Metro Rail projects in the country, whether within one municipal are or beyond, shall be taken up under the Central Metro Acts only."

OneIndia News