Chandigarh awaits CMP report to kick-start Metro project

The Chandigarh administration is awaiting the report of Common Mobility Plan (CMP) prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services Ltd (RITES), the consultancy arm of Indian Railways, to kick-start its ambitious metro rail project in the Chandigarh region, which also includes Panchkula and Mohali.

The CMP would include assessing the needs of public transport in the region including the movement of traffic on roads, bus service, population growth and density of the areas covered under the Metro project.

Though need for having a Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) in Chandigarh has been felt since 2004, it was only in early 2008 when the Chandigarh administration received an in-principle approval from the Urban development ministry to prepare CMP for the MRTS in the Union Territory.

RITES, which had been appointed consultants by the Chandigarh administration for preparing the CMP, is likely to submit the report by March this year.

Apart from studying the feasibility of the metro rail project in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, the report is expected to throw light on the feasibility of extending the metro network in areas around Chandigarh that includes Zirakpur, Kharar and Dera Bassi in Punjab, Pinjore and Kalka in Haryana, and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh.

UT officials maintain that though the CMP report would take another two-three months to be submitted, they were awaiting an interim report, which is likely to be tabled this month.

The detailed project report (DPR) would be the next step after the CMP report is submitted.

The officials maintained that the decision for appointing consultants for preparing the DPR would be taken once the CMP report is submitted.

While the UT administration would underwrite 50 per cent of the cost of the CMP and DPR, the proportion of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh would be 20, 20 and 10 per cent, respectively.