Title - Chandigarh Metro: Citizens likely to feel the pinch

The Metro rail project for the tricity is likely to put an extra burden on tax-payers in the city.

As per the detailed Metro project (DPR) submitted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the residents may have to bear the funding and running cost of Metro rail project here.

In the DPR of tricity metro, DMRC has proposed to levy metro cess on the sale of petrol and diesel in the city for the funding of the project.

The total project cost, including land cost and taxes of the Metro project will be `10,900 crore in the first phase. It includes development of Metro project in Chandigarh portion costing `8245 crore, `1,427 crore in Punjab portion and `1,228 crore in Haryana portion.

Apparently, generating funds for the ambitious tricity Metro rail project would be a “tough task” for the UT Administration.

According to DMRC, metro cess on the sale of petrol and diesel in the city could be tapped for raising funds for metro project. If the same is imposed, the citizens would have to pay more for petrol and diesel in Chandigarh.

The DMRC has also proposed to levy green tax on the existing vehicles in the city. At present, the city has nearly 10 lakh vehicles registered with the UT Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA).

The vehicles include a large number of two wheelers, including motorcycles, scooters and four wheelers.

Also, levying additional charges on new registration of vehicles in the city has also been proposed by the DMRC. Imposing tax on the commercial vehicles entering Chandigarh urban area has been suggested by the Corporation to generate funds for the metro project.

A senior official of the UT Administration while talking to The Pioneer said: “In the DPR, the DMRC has proposed a number of ways to generate funds for metro project.”

“It includes levying metro cess on the sale of petrol and diesel in the city and imposing other taxes in the city,” said the official.

He added: “The UT Administration is yet to finalize anything in this regard. All the suggestions made by DMRC would certainly be considered and a final decision would be taken after a meeting with neighboring state governments of Punjab and Haryana.

Seemingly, it would be a bumpy ride for all the three stakeholders, including Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana, when the three of them get down to brasstacks to settle on the issue of cost sharing of the tricity metro project and generating funds for the project.

 

Highlights of the Metro Project

 

 A total of 37.573 km metro rail project has been proposed, including 23.468 km elevated and 14.105 km underground in the first phase.

The proposed north-south corridor in Chandigarh will comprise 8.04 km underground and 4.43 km elevated track and the east-west corridor has a proposed length of 6.04 km underground track and 19.04 km of elevated track.

Punjab will have a total track length of 7.8 km and Haryana will have a total track length of 6.41 km running through its territory.

About 30 stations have been earmarked, each at an average distance of 1.210 km on the north-south corridor and at an average distance of 1.206 km on the east-west corridor.

The proposed north-south corridor (Corridor-I) will commence from Capitol Complex to culminate at Gurudwara Singh Shaheeda via Sector 9, ISBT-17, Aroma Chowk, Sector -34, Sector 43 ISBT, Sector 52, Sector 62, Sector 70. The north-south Corridor will have 4 elevated and 6 underground Metro stations.

  The proposed East-West Corridor (Corridor II) will begin from Grain Market near Sector 21 Panchkula and will reach up to Transport Terminal via Raili village, Bus stand, City Centre, HUDA office Complex, MDC Panchkula, Housing Board Chowk, Railway Station, Timber Market, Sector 26, Sector 7, Sector 9, GMSH-16, PGIMER, Khuda Lahora, Sarangpur, Mullanpur, Air Force Station. The east-west corridor will have 15 elevated and 5 underground metro stations.