LUDHIANA METRO PROJECT REPORT: Sukhbir gives final touches

Chandigarh, November 22, 2012: Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab today gave final touches to the Project Report of Rs. 9840 crore ambitious project of Ludhiana Metro, so that it could be submitted to Union Government for final approval.

          Accompanied by Chunni Lal Bhagat, Local Bodies Minister and Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue Minister, Badal held a high level meeting in which Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh, Principal Secretary Local Bodies Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary Finance Satish Chandra, Chairman Punjab Governance Reforms Commission Dr. Pramod Kumar and Chairman Right To Service Act Commission S.C. Aggarwal participated.

Badal also approved the financial model for the Ludhiana Metro so that there should be least financial burden on people of Punjab.

Badal also approved the Metro Alignment from Aayali Chowk to BBMB Power Chowk that would have 15.70 KM out of which 12.152 would be elevated and 3.617 would be underground. It would have 11 elevated and 3 underground stations. Similarly, the alignment for Corridor-2 from Gill Village to Rahon Road was also finalized that would have 13.626 KM long with 4.886 elevated track and 8.740 would be underground track.

He directed that there should be minimum possible displacement of people due to the metro project and Metro Authority can go for underground lines instead of displacing the people, it may raise the price of project. 

It was decided in the meeting that 11.70 acre of land would be required for alignment, station and receiving substation in Corridor-1 and 19.05 acre for Corridor-2. The land requirement for depots would be 65 acres for Baddowal Depot and 52 acres for Gill Village Depot. He was also finalized the relief and resettlement policy for the project.

Badal issued directions for time bound completion of this project asked the Local Government Department for Metro tracks in other corporation cities of the Punjab so that immediately after completion of Ludhiana Metro, the work other metro project could be initiated. It was decided that Ludhiana Metro be covered under Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance Act, 2002 and other legal framework controlling Delhi Metro).

Prominent amongst those present in the meeting Manvesh Singh Sidhu and Ajay Kumar Mahajan, Special Secretary to Deputy CM, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Secretary Local Bodies and other senior officers of various departments.