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Srinagar, Jammu Metro rail awaits funding from GoI

September 19, 2021
The Dispatch Staff
3 Min Read
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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government has submitted the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) of metrolite rail for Srinagar and Jammu cities to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) for approval and funding purposes.

According to the officials, the earlier DPR of the project was approved by the J&K government and referred to GoI for appraisal and funding.

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“However MOHUA asked the J&K government to rework on the project and suggested some inputs which were to be incorporated in the revised DPR,” they said.

Following this the railway consultancy firm Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) submitted a revised detailed project for Rs 9846 crore metrolite rail for Srinagar and Jammu before MOHUA.

“The revised DPR was submitted in July, whereafter it was again posed to MOHUA for approval and funding. The process of inter-ministerial consultation and PIB approval will take about 3 months while the construction period is 54 months. The elevated metrolite proposed for Srinagar is 25 km at Rs 5733 crore and for Jammu is 23 km at Rs 4113 crore. The cities will be provided the ‘best in class” mobility in terms of safe, reliable, convenient and sustainable public transport,” reads an official document.

Earlier, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the J&K administration was awaiting the union cabinet’s nod for the project.

“We have submitted the proposal for the metro rail, and the Housing and Urban Development Ministry has circulated the cabinet note in this regard,” Sinha told newsmen on the sidelines of a function held here in connection with making Srinagar polythene-free. “Once all the departments comment on it, it will be sent to the PMO and the cabinet will approve it. After it is approved, we will start the tendering process,” he had said.

According to the DPR, the metro rail projects in these twin cities – Srinagar and Jammu – are pegged to cost over Rs 9000 crore and are expected to complete by 2024 once approved by the concerned bodies.

“The railway consultancy firm RITES has submitted the final detailed project reports for the projects expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Once the projects are completed, Srinagar and Jammu will become the first two non-major cities in the country to have the rapid transport network functional,” the officials said.

In DPR, a low-cost elevated light rail transit system is proposed to run 17 hours a day round the year in Jammu, whereas in Srinagar it will run 17 hours daily during summers and 14 hours daily for winters. Due to the hilly area, only an elevated light rail system is feasible hence, no underground tunnels would be built.

According to J&K government officials, Jammu Light Metro Rail will have a 23-kilometer length with 22 stations between Bantalab and Bari Brahmana, whereas Srinagar light rail system will have a 25-kilometre length which includes 12.5-kilometer length from Indira Nagar to HMT junction and 12.5-kilometer length from Hazuri Bagh to Osmanabad with 24 stations (12 stations on each corridor).

The elevated metro system would not only facilitate people but also have a positive impact on the economy and the quality of life. The metro coaches would be modern, lightweight and made from stainless steel and aluminum, with an air-conditioning system. (GREATER KASHMIR)

 

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