Vandana Ramnani Moneycontrol News
With expansion plans for mass rapid transit system and metro projects in the offing, the Interim Budget 2019 has set aside the largest share of funds to the network - Rs 19,152 crore, almost 23 percent up from Rs 15,600 crore last year.
The ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had asked for an average 20 percent hike in outlay with the Metro network extension high on agenda during the pre-Budget talks.
The outlay under the Metro Rail Transit System (MRTS) had dropped to Rs 15,600 crore in 2018-19 from Rs 18,000 crore in 2017-18. But now with several Metro projects are in the offing, the outlay has been increased substantially.
"Urban transport and housing have been the biggest demands in the cities. The government has addressed both these issues in the interim budget," said infrastructure experts.
The Centre is expected to announce the beginning of the Delhi Metro Phase- IV, which was cleared by the Delhi government in December last year and formally sent to the Urban Affairs ministry.
At present, as much as 566 km of Metro Rail lines are operational in 10 cities i.e. Delhi & NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Gurugram. Since May, 2014 to till date, about 287 km of metro rail lines have been commissioned in Delhi and NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Gurugram, as per housing and urban affairs ministry data.
In 2018 (from January, 2018 to till date), about 110 km of metro rail lines have been commissioned in Delhi and NCR, Hyderabad and Chennai. Since May, 2014 to till date, 13 new metro projects with a total length of about 248 km at a total cost of Rs. 68,021 crore have been approved for Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Gurugram, Lucknow, Chennai Extension, Pune, Delhi Metro Extensions, Noida – Greater Noida, Bhopal and Indore. In 2018 itself, three new projects with a length of about 66 km at a total cost of Rs 16, 408 crore have been approved for Bhopal, Indore and Delhi Metro Extension from Noida City Centre to Noida Sector 62.
The Prime Minister has laid foundation of six metro projects since May, 2014, for Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai Line 2A, Mumbai Line 2B, Mumbai Line-4 and Mumbai Line-7. He has also inaugurated several new metro lines since May, 2014 in Delhi, Hyderabad and Kochi.
In 2018 itself, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the Delhi Metro extension from Mundka to Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh (11.18 km) in June 2018 and Delhi Metro extension from Escort Mujesar to Raja Nahar Singh Ballabgarh (3.205 km) in November 2018. Around 650 km of metro rail projects are at various stages of implementation in Delhi and NCR, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Jaipur, Mumbai (including State initiatives by MMRDA), Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Noida, Bhopal and Indore. About 750 km of metro rail systems and 373 km of Rapid Rail Transit Systems (RRTS) are under planning in various cities.
vandana.ramnani@nw18.com
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