Title - AGP opposes, BJP, BPF support Metro rail

GUWAHATI – There is a mixed reaction to the proposal for introduction of a metro rail mass rapid transport system (MRTS) in Guwahati city from amongst the Opposition legislators of the State.Taking part in the debate on the Budget, AGP Legislative Party (AGPLP) leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury said that the Bangaluru-based traffic management consultant Wlbeur Smith said in his report to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in 2008 that a metro rail MRTS was not feasible in Guwahati. Contrary to that, he claimed, monorail was feasible in Guwahati.Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath had also stated in Kochi in Kerala on September 14, 2012 that metro rail MRTS was not feasible for Guwahati. Moreover, for introducing a metro rail MRTS, a city needs a population of at least 20 lakh, which Guwahati does not have today.But the Chief Minister in his Budget speech has proposed a metro rail MRTS for Guwahati, said the AGPLP leader, adding, “ I would expect that the State Government would state in categorical terms the expenditure made by the State Government during the 2013-14 fiscal for introduction of the metro rail MRTS in its Budget for 2014-15.”

However, BJP legislator Ranjit Das described the proposal for the metro rail MRTS as an epoch making one. It will save Guwahati from pollution and traffic snarls he said and welcomed the proposal.

But the BJP legislator maintained that the geography of Guwahati and its climate may pose problems for introducing this MRTS.

Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) legislator Pramilarani Brahma welcomed the proposal as a farsighted one. The Chief Minister should be appreciated for the proposal. But at the same time, she said, there is a need to ensure whether the master plan for the project has been completed or not. BPF is a partner in the ruling coalition of the State.