Title - GMDA/Guwahati awaits State Govt’s nod to conduct study for metro rail

GUWAHATI: After the Centre gave the state government the go-ahead to conduct pre-feasibility study and prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for metro rail project in Guwahati, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is awaiting the state government’s green signal to expedite the process.

A senior official of Guwahati Development Department (GDD) said, “The urban development ministry has asked the GMDA to prepare the DPR for the metro rail project in Guwahati. After receiving the state government’s nod, the GMDA will float tenders inviting firms to conduct the study and prepare the DPR,” the official said.

Recently, chief minister Tarun Gogoi in his budget speech has earmarked Rs 1,800 crore for the metro rail project in Guwahati. The pre-feasibility study for the project is vital as the city’s wetlands and hills make the job of GMDA officials difficult to decide what would be the metro’s route.

The Centre has accepted the state government’s Rs 14,000-crore proposal for a metro rail project in Guwahati and has sanctioned Rs 25 crore for carrying out the feasibility study.

Guwahati metropolitan region spreads over an area of 2,205sqkm with a population of more than 2.4 million people and a floating population of about three lakh, said a concept paper prepared by the GMDA on metro rail project. Slow vehicular movement on congested city roads has made it an imperative to construct the metro rail, a GMDA official said. “The average speed on Guwahati roads is less than 20kmph during peak hours, with an average speed of 15kmph in the Central Business District area,” the concept paper said.