Rs 167 cr released for UP Metro link

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has released Rs 167 crore as part of the UP government's share in expanding the Delhi metro rail up to Vaishali in Ghaziabad district.

The cabinet, which met here on August 1, approved the proposal for the metro project.

The expenditure for the metro rail link to UP will be borne by the Ghaziabad Development Authority. The GDA will give the money to the DMRC, besides providing the land required for the project.

As per the plan approved by the cabinet, the GDA will bear the cost of the metro rail link, estimated to be Rs 170 crore. The proposed rail track will be 2.05-km-long and connect Kaushambi and Vaishali with Anand Vihar ISBT.

The expansion of the Delhi Metro to UP has been in the progress for two years with the Rs 730-crore Delhi-Noida Rail Corridor project having already been signed.

The 7-km-long railway line will be laid from New Ashok Nagar in Delhi to Noida under the corridor project. "Efforts were afoot to accomplish the project by the year 2009 ahead of prestigious Commonwealth Games proposed in the National Capital in 2010," a government official said.

The expansion of metro project to UP could be made possible after marathon meetings between the Planning Commission, Central Government, UP government, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and RITES.

These projects would be the part of Rs 2,239 crore Integrated Rail-cum-Bus Transit (IRBT) project designed by National Capital Planning Board.

Under IRBT, 14.92 km Shahdara-Sahibabad-Ghaziabad track would incur an expenditure of Rs 667 crore while 17.36 km Sahibabad-Tilak Bridge-Minto Bridge track would involve an expenditure of Rs 618 crore.

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