Srinagar, Mar 17: Much-awaited Srinagar Metro Project is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA.
In response to a starred question tabled by MLA Tanveer Sadiq in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, the Housing and Urban Development Department revealed said the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) worth Rs 4893 crore, prepared by M/s RITES Ltd., has been submitted to the central ministry for approval. However, the project has yet to receive the green signal.
The government clarified that no steps have been taken so far to hold consultations with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) or any other firm for the execution and implementation of the project, as it remains stuck at the approval stage.
Additionally, the authorities stated that due to the pending approval, it is not possible to set a revised timeline for the project’s completion at this stage.
Pertinently, the Srinagar Metro Project is seen as crucial for addressing the growing traffic congestion and urban pressure in the city. However, the delay in its approval has raised concerns among residents and stakeholders about the timely execution of this significant infrastructure initiative.
It is worth mentioning that the idea of a metro rail project for Srinagar was first proposed in 2017 to address the increasing traffic congestion and provide an efficient transportation system for the city.
The project was initially estimated to cost Rs 4893 crore and was to be executed in two phases, covering a total distance of 25 km with two corridors—one from HMT Junction to Indira Nagar and another from Osmanabad to Hazoori Bagh.
Perteintly, in 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir government had set a September 2024 deadline to start operations on the Rs 9,590 crore metro project for the twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar, an official spokesperson said.
During a high-level meeting, it was informed that the project costing Rs 9,590 crore is expected to commence operations by September 2024.
It was also informed that the Light Metro Elevated Corridor in Jammu will connect Bantalab to Bari Brahmana Railway Station (Corridor-1) with a total length of 23 kilometers in phase-I and Exhibition Ground to Udheywala (Corridor-1) and Exhibition Ground to Satwari Chowk (Corridor-2) in Phase-II, he said.
As per the approval, the Srinagar Metropolitan Region will cover the areas in districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Baramulla, Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam, and Shopian, covering an approximate area of 2494.65 sq km, he said.
Similarly, the Jammu Metropolitan Region will cover the areas in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, and Udhampur districts, covering an area of 2216.58 sq km.
The state government in December 2018 enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authorities Act, 2018, and subsequently created two umbrella authorities under it — Jammu Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Srinagar Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
These metropolitan region development authorities are expected to serve the purposes of coordination, besides supervising the proper, orderly, and rapid development of the areas in these regions and executing plans, projects, and schemes for such development while also raising resources for the mega projects.