Tewari raises questions over Metro project in Parliament
To a volley of questions raised in the Lok Sabha by local MP Manish Tewari on the Metro project in the city, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs gave just one-word answer.
During the ongoing Parliament session, Tewari asked: “Whether it is a fact that the Union Government has approved metro projects to run underground only in heritage sectors of Chandigarh and not the whole of Chandigarh.”
Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs replied “no”.
Tewari asked if so, the details thereof, including the timeline of completion phase-wise, as also the rationale why the city is being divided into two parts in the name of heritage. He further asked whether the aesthetics of Chandigarh beyond the heritage sectors are considered less important. Tewari also demanded the details of the funds sanctioned, released and to be utilised for the completion of the Metro project. In the last question, he asked whether there were any pending clearances regarding the project, if so what action was taken.
Having said “no” to the first question, Sahu stated question did not arise for the subsequent queries. In a post on the social media, Tewari said look at the length of the questions and the size of the answer. “No Metro for Chandigarh despite promises for 10 years,” he said.
During a recent visit to the city, Union Minister for Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar had expressed reservations about the viability of Metro in the city. The minister cited the need for an assessment of its ridership potential. Despite lower-than-expected ridership projections, he gave the go-ahead to the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed Metro
“We will prepare a DPR, but given the low ridership figures, we are also exploring alternatives like a pod taxi system,” he had stated. “Even if we manage the capital expenditure initially, the operational costs must be sustained without imposing excessive fares,” he added.
