Centre gives nod, metro to run underground in heritage sectors of Chandigarh

Following the recommendations of a sub-panel of the Chandigarh Heritage Protection Committee, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has given its nod to run the metro lines in heritage sectors (1 to 30) completely underground.

The decision on acceptance was taken during a recent meeting between the ministry and representatives of the administration of the University of Tennessee in Delhi.

A senior UT administration official, who attended the meeting, said, “The ministry has given its approval; we are now waiting for the minutes of the meeting. Moreover, considering that the project is going underground in heritage sectors, the cost will increase by ₹8,000 crore, which means the total cost of the project will be almost ₹19,000 crores.”

In January this year, a sub-committee of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee, citing the city’s heritage status, had pushed for underground corridors in sectors 1 to 30. This was against the alignment options report prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), according to which the 154-km metro network proposed across the tricity would have mostly elevated tracks and stations. Of the total 20-km network proposed in Chandigarh, around 8 km is elevated, which would change the aesthetic landscape of Chandigarh.

The report lists three corridors as part of Phase 1, crisscrossing Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Of these, the one along Madhya Marg, which falls in Chandigarh’s heritage sectors (1 to 30), will now be entirely underground, while the other two will be mostly elevated and partly underground. Phase 2, planned for Mohali and Panchkula, will also have a mostly elevated network. Of the total cost, 20% will be borne by Haryana and Punjab, 20% by the Centre and the remaining 60% by the lending agency.

The first phase comprises three routes: Sultanpur, New Chandigarh, to Sector 28, Panchkula (34 km); Sukhna Lake to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali ISBT and Chandigarh Airport (41.20 km); and from Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13.30 km), beyond a 2.5-km depot entry. They are expected to be completed by 2034.

In Phase 2, to be implemented after 2034, a 25-km metro has been proposed from Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar (5 km) and ISBT Zirakpur to Pinjore (20 km), also with a mostly flyover network.

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Punjab’s delay in releasing land

stops metro project

Since the Punjab government is yet to give its nod to allocate 50 acres of land in New Chandigarh for the construction of a station, the plan to start work on the metro project this year will not materialise. While the UT has been waiting for the decision for months, the Punjab government said it will take a decision in this regard soon. Functions like inspection and maintenance are to be carried out at the metro stations. As per the alternative analysis report (AAR) prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), the project includes a station, for which 50 acres of land is required in New Chandigarh.