Tewari champions Metro plan, Kher opposes it again
Amid fierce debate during Chandigarh Administrator’s Advisory Council meeting, former MP Kirron Kher reiterates her stand that the city will be uprooted with Metro, while Tewari terms it a solution for tricity’s traffic chaos
Once again, former member of Parliament Kirron Kher staunchly opposed the Metro proposal while sitting MP Manish Tewari ardently defended it as a crucial step forward to tackle the city’s burgeoning traffic chaos as the UT Administrator’s Advisory Council (AAC) reconvened after a gap of one year on Saturday.
Constituted to advise the UT administration on the city’s developmental issues, the 60-member council met under the chairmanship of UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria.
A steadfast critic of the project for a decade, Kirron Kher, who remained the city’s MP for two terms since 2014, reiterated her stand that the project will severely damage the city. “The project is not financially viable and will result in the entire city being dug up,” she argued.
On the other hand, Manish Tewari expressed concern over the undue delay in the Metro project for Chandigarh and its neighbouring areas. He advocated it as a futuristic project that would benefit not only the city but also the surrounding regions.
Metro plan rejected by Centre previously
The Metro project was first proposed for Chandigarh in 2009 and a detailed project report (DPR) was also prepared in 2012 after spending ₹1.5 crore. The first phase was to begin in 2013. But in 2014, then MP Kirron Kher had opposed it, stating that it will uproot the city, before it was ultimately rejected by the Union home ministry in 2017.
The ministry had then asked the UT administration to look for alternative models of transport, contending that Metro was not viable in Chandigarh due to the city’s size. Also, its ₹14,000-crore cost was not financially feasible. For the project to be viable, the Metro network needs to be used by 40,000-70,000 passengers at the peak hour in peak traffic to ensure viability, which is expected to be achieved only by 2051, the ministry had stated.
After remaining in cold storage for years, the Metro plans were revived in August 2021, with the UT administration deciding to go in for a fresh comprehensive mobility plan by RITES. Three years later, UT has yet to send the project’s fresh DPR to the central government for approval, despite Haryana and Punjab paying their share for the report’s preparation.
UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria had last week directed the authorities to assess the financial and economic viability of Metro systems in similarly sized cities before moving forward. His directions came while chairing a meeting of the 23-member Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA) on September 2.
Sticking to her stance at the AAC meeting on Saturday, Kher again emphasised Metro’s unsuitability for a city like Chandigarh, advocating instead for improvements in other modes of transport.
Achievements reviewed, new recommendations made
During the meeting, chairpersons of the 10 standing committees—covering education, health, urban infrastructure, social welfare, law and order, sports, transportation, culture, environment, and peripheral area development—reviewed their past achievements and presented new recommendations. Members of the council also shared their insights and suggestions on various issues.
Tewari demanded a timeline from the authorities for clearing the garbage dump in Dadumajra. It was agreed that the dump would be cleared by December 31, 2024. Tewari also stated that the UT administration had misinterpreted the Supreme Court’s judgment regarding the permission for floor-wise property registration in Chandigarh.
City Congress president HS Lucky raised concerns about the non-implementation of the MSME Act in Chandigarh, conversion of leasehold commercial and industrial properties to freehold, and regularisation of constructions outside Lal Dora in villages, among other issues.
He also strongly demanded the withdrawal of harsh notices being sent to industrial and commercial units in the city for minor violations. Lucky further highlighted the demand for land pooling in villages, the amicable resolution of need-based changes in Chandigarh Housing Board dwelling units and immediate relief to unrecognised schools.
Charanjiv Singh, president of Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, stated that seven years had passed since the end of the VAT regime, yet traders were still receiving notices for crores of rupees. He urged the introduction of a one time-settlement scheme for assessment of old VAT cases following the Punjab model to provide relief to traders. He added that this would also generate revenue for the administration.
Need balanced approach to address current needs, future aspirations of city: Kataria
Kataria emphasised that public involvement was crucial for the successful implementation of government plans, and urged a balanced approach to address both the current needs and future aspirations of Chandigarh.
The administrator disclosed that efforts were underway to establish a shorter route to the international airport, with support from the governments of Punjab and Haryana. He also stressed the need to improve Chandigarh’s cleanliness ranking, suggesting that the city learn from successful models like Indore to address its shortcomings.
Furthermore, Kataria introduced a new initiative where Wednesdays will be dedicated to addressing public grievances in government offices, fostering direct engagement between the administration and residents.
The administrator reiterated the importance of the AAC members’ recommendations for Chandigarh’s future and proposed a follow-up meeting with the chairpersons of the sub-committees and other key dignitaries to resolve long-standing issues and guide policy decisions.
Constituted on February 9, 2007, the council had last met on August 18, 2023, even though it is supposed to convene three times a year, as per rules. Over the past 17 years, only 16 meetings have been held.