Metro Project: Chandigarh Metro Project: Underground Route Confirmed for Heritage Sectors

Chandigarh: Whether Metro will be elevated or underground in Chandigarh is likely to be soon settled with consensus building between the UT Administration and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) over an underground stretch within the heritage sectors of the city.A decision on the issue is key to the feasibility of the project in the city. An elevated network is three times cheaper than the underground network. But the underground network is crucial to protect the city’s “heritage”.“Of the total 86-km route length, the Metro stretch is around 40 km within Chandigarh, out of which around 15km is estimated to be within the heritage sectors,” he said theofficial. In Panchkula and Mohali, the network is proposed to be elevated. The heritage sectors are sectors from 1 to 30, which includes the UNESCO World Heritage site of Capitol Complex.“In a recent meeting with the UT Administration and RITES representatives, MoHUA officials in-principle agreed with the administration position that keeping in mind the heritage and character of the city, the metro route within the heritage sectors should be underground,” said a senior UT official.The official, though added, the final minutes of the meeting are yet to be shared with the administration. “We are not yet to receive formal approval from the competent authority. Before final nod they might yet ask for a meeting or more clarifications,” said the official.In an earlier meeting on formulation of the detailed project report (DPR) of the metro project between the Ministry and UT officials, the issue of elevated versus underground route for the metro was discussed.The ministry had disagreed with the UT and RITES contention that two DPRs be formulated, one each on elevated and underground network. In its December 2023 meeting, the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) had decided that proposals for both elevated and underground corridors would be submitted to Mohua, along with their respective pros, cons, and financial implications. For protecting the city’s architectural heritage, the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) panel had recommended against elevated MRTS route in the city.

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