RailEnquiry

The High Power Committee (HPC) on Lucknow Metro Rail gave its nod to start work on the Amausi-Munshipulia stretch in the first phase of the project.

At the same time, it asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to immediately commence the techno-feasibility study on the 42-kilometer alternative corridor for the ring metro line including the Gomti Nagar link, Tulsi Das Marg, Subhash Marg and Mill Road.

Work on the first phase would start with the construction of a depot that would come up on 50 acres of 32nd PAC Battalion land near Amausi Airport on Kanpur Road.

The deadline for completion of this phase (North-South corridor) is March 2018 while the second phase (East-West corridor) would be over by March 2019, according to the HPC.

A panel comprising principal secretaries of the departments concerned has been constituted to carry out the necessary physical survey of the proposed depot site and submit its findings within 15 days.

Likewise, another panel under principal secretary, finance, has been asked by chief secretary Jawed Usmani to vet the memorandum of articles and association proposed for the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and give its opinion within 15 days.

The chief secretary presided over the HPC.

“These are necessary procedural formalities that have to be followed. We have collected all basic information and completed paper work related to the formation of the SPV,” said an official, who attended the meeting.

DMRC general manager (consultancy service) Arun Kumar Singh gave a presentation of the revised blueprint of the metro project to the committee.

A sub-panel headed by secretary, housing and chairman of the Lucknow Metro Cell, Rajeev Aggarwal presented a report to the HPC on generating funds from additional resources for the project.

While agreeing in principle with the measures suggested by the panel, the HPC referred the matter to the departments concerned to give their opinion on whether the same could be implemented without any legal hassles.

For the first time, a member of the North-Eastern Railway was also invited to the meeting, which among others was attended by principal secretaries of housing, Sadakant, home, RM Srivastava, finance, Anand Mishra, planning Sanjiv Mittal, transport, BS Bhullar and several other senior officials.