Kirron Kher again opposes Metro, Manish Tewari bats for project

Both the sitting and former MPs of the city came face to face over the Metro project during a meeting of the UT Administrator’s Advisory Council (AAC) here today. While former MP and BJP leader Kirron Kher opposed the project, sitting Congress MP Manish Tewari supported it.

Opposing the project again nearly after a decade, Kirron argued that the project would completely damage the city. Tewari expressed concerns over the undue delay in starting Metro, which, he said, would benefit residents of the city as well as adjoining tricity areas. He said it was a futuristic project.

The project was first conceived in 2009 and a detailed project report was prepared in 2012 at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. Despite surveys and plans for its Phase I in 2013, the project faced opposition in 2014 from then MP Kirron, who argued it would harm the city. Ultimately, the Home Ministry rejected the project in 2017.

After remaining in limbo for years, the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) plans saw a revival in August 2021, with the UT Administration opting for a fresh comprehensive mobility plan. Kirron, reiterating her stance today, emphasised the Metro unviability for a city like Chandigarh, advocating for improvements in other modes of transport instead.

The AAC meeting was chaired by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria. This meeting was a significant step towards advancing community welfare and progress in the city.

UT Adviser Rajeev Verma acknowledged the valuable contributions of the sub-committees and members, highlighting the city’s goals of becoming a green, clean and Smart City.

The chairpersons of the 10 Standing Committees on education, health, urban infrastructure, social welfare, law and order, sports, transportation, culture, environment, and peripheral area development reviewed their achievements and made fresh recommendations. Members of the council also provided their insights and suggestions on various issues.

During the meeting, Tewari demanded that the authorities should come up with a time line for clearing the Dadu Majra dump. It was agreed that the dump would be cleared positively by December 31 this year. The UT Administration has misinterpreted the Supreme Court judgment in the matter seeking permission for the floor-wise registries in Chandigarh, said Tewari.

City Congress president HS Lucky raised the issues of non-implementation of the MSME Act in the UT, conversion of leasehold commercial and industrial properties to freehold and regularisation of construction outside “lal dora” in the villages besides other issues. Lucky also demanded the withdrawal of draconian notices being sent to industrial and commercial units in the city even for minor violations. He also highlighted the demands of land pooling in villages, amicable resolution of the need-based changes in Chandigarh Housing Board dwelling units and the provision of immediate relief to the unrecognised schools.

Charanjiv Singh, president, Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, said seven years had passed since the VAT regime came to an end but notice of crores of rupees were still being issued to traders. “So an OTS scheme for assessment of old VAT cases should be introduced on the Punjab pattern to give relief to local traders,” he said, adding that it would also bring revenue to the administration.

He also said conversion-cum-extra coverage charges while converting SCFs to SCOs, which have been increased from Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 65 lakh, similarly extra coverage charges for industrial plots, which have been increased from Rs 200 per sq ft to Rs 3,400 per sq ft, should be rationalised.

Kamaljit Singh Panchhi, member of council, demanded simplification of building bylaws. The existing building bylaws, which were established when Chandigarh’s population was a fraction of its current size, require urgent simplification and updating to reflect the city’s significant population growth. As the demand for space has increased, many residents have made need-based modifications to their properties to maintain their standard of living. We request that these changes be regularised, with no interference for construction within the line of control, provided that structural stability is maintained, he added.

Kataria expressed gratitude to the AAC members for their participation and constructive discussions. He emphasised that public involvement was crucial for the successful implementation of government plans and urged for a balanced approach to address both current needs and future aspirations of Chandigarh.

The Administrator disclosed that efforts were afoot to establish a shorter route to the international airport, with support from the Governments of Punjab and Haryana. He also stressed the need to improve Chandigarh’s cleanliness ranking and suggested learning from successful cities like Indore to address the shortfalls.

Kataria also spoke about the introduction of a new initiative where Wednesdays would be dedicated to addressing public grievances in government offices, fostering direct engagement between the administration and the residents.

He reiterated the importance of the Administrator Advisory Council members’ recommendations for Chandigarh’s future and proposed a follow-up meeting with the chairpersons of the sub-committees and other key dignitaries to resolve long-standing issues and guide policy decisions.

Following the discussions, officials updated the council on recent developments, challenges and the way forward.