Assocham for developing MRTS in Punjab & Haryana

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has cautioned that infrastructure in urban centres of Punjab and Haryana would be inadequate to bear the projected population growth as over half of the population in both these states is likely to migrate to urban areas by 2030.

It has suggested introduction of a mass transportation system to decongest roads, reduce air pollution, the number of road accidents and cope up with rapid urbanisation in and around these cities.

The existing transportation infrastructure in Punjab and in most of Haryana, which is mainly road-based is dismal , as buses and trains are acutely over-crowded and sorely lacking in comfort and convenience for commuters, said Assocham.

Rapid urbanisation has fuelled the need for an effective and sustainable public transportation system in both the states following the Delhi Metro model — a perfect example of synergy between public and private sectors, it said in the study titled ‘Urbanising India and Mega Metro Network: Vision for the Emerging Cities of India 2030’.

Growth explosion in cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Chandigarh has pushed these cities and their denizens towards serious transport crisis.

Assocham has thus urged the Punjab and Haryana government to undertake an environment-friendly mass rapid transit system (MRTS) and cost of the project be shared between Punjab and Haryana depending on the actual area being covered in their respective territories.

Traffic decongestion by encouraging commuters to shun their vehicles and use public transport is the primary aim of MRTS.

Besides, the chamber has also urged the Punjab administration to put its Rs 10,000 crore Ludhiana metro rail project envisaging a 16 km public transport system with elevated and underground sections and the proposed pod car system in Amritsar on a fast track.

Citing the example of Ludhiana Assocham study said, “Metro rail in Ludhiana would have a capacity to ferry about 5 lakh commuters daily and it would be a cost-effective feasible solution to put an end to transportation woes of millions of commuters thereby reducing the pressure on roads in the city drastically. Frequent traffic snarls due to narrow and choked road network is proving to be a growth bottleneck adding to increased costs of goods and services.”

“The rapidly progressing states of Punjab and Haryana lack a credible public transport system,” said D S Rawat, secretary general of Assocham.