DPRs still under appraisal in Govt of India: Minister
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 31: For thousands of daily commuters navigating the ever-growing traffic in both the capital cities of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and their surrounding areas, the promise of a modern Metrolite system remains distant as the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have yet not been cleared by the Government of India.
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This has come to the fore from the reply of the Government to the question of BJP MLA from Akhnoor Mohan Lal in the Legislative Assembly today.
When asked whether the J&K Government has submitted proposals to the Government of India with regard to Metrolite/Light Metro Projects for Jammu and Srinagar cities and the present status of the proposals, Minister for Education Sakeena Itoo, on behalf of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said, “the proposals were submitted and are presently under consideration of the Government of India”.
Giving city-wise details of ground surveys, feasibility studies and DPRs for the projects, the Minister said, “as far as Jammu city is concerned, the comprehensive ground surveys, traffic studies, feasibility analysis and DPR preparation have been completed through M/s RITES Ltd”.
The DPR includes alignment planning, ridership projections (2.84 lakh daily ridership by 2035), cost estimates, land requirements (29.58 hectares permanent and 1.50 hectares temporary), environment and seismic design considerations and financial structuring. The Economic Internal Rate of Return has been assessed at 18.92%.
For Srinagar city, detailed topographical surveys, traffic and ridership assessments, engineering feasibility studies, financial and economic analyses and alignment planning have been undertaken through M/s RITES Ltd, the Minister said, adding DPR of both the projects have been finalized and submitted to the Government of India for appraisal.
When asked whether Government has examined the feasibility for inclusion of Akhnoor town and Akhnoor -Jammu corridor in the proposed Metrolite network in view of the rapid urbanization and increasing traffic load, daily commuter flow and strategic importance of Akhnoor, the Minister said, “the current proposal is confined to the Jammu urban corridor from Bantalab to Bari Brahmana covering 23 kilometers with 22 stations and Akhnoor town is not covered in this corridor”.
In view of the reply of the Government no time-frame can be specified for the projects becoming reality as after necessary approval from all the relevant quarters the proposals will have to be finally placed before the Union Cabinet for clearance.
The continued delay has raised concerns over possible escalation in project costs and deferment of anticipated economic and employment benefits associated with the Metrolite systems, officials of the Housing and Urban Development Department said when contacted, adding “early implementation of mass transit systems like Metrolite is essential for planned urbanization, as delays often lead to unregulated growth, making future infrastructure interventions more complex and expensive”.
“With both Jammu and Srinagar cities witnessing steady increase in vehicular population and urban sprawl, the need for a reliable and efficient public transport system is becoming increasingly urgent, lending further importance to early clearance and execution of the proposed projects”, they further said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Metrolite is a light rail urban transit system for cities with lower ridership projection. Moreover, Metrolite has some advantages over metro rail including lower cost and as they have only elevated corridors as such negligible land acquisition is required. The coaches of Metrolite are generally modern, lightweight and made from stainless steel and aluminum and have the air-conditioning and other facilities.
As per the DPRs, Jammu Metrolite route includes two lines-Line 1 will be from Bantalab to Greater Kailash in Phase 1 and will be extended to Bari Brahmana Railway Station in Phase 2. This line will have elevated stations and an interchange station at the Exhibition Ground. The Line 2 will be from Udheywala to Exhibition Ground.
The Srinagar Metrolite will also have two lines- Line 1 will be from Indira Nagar to HMT junction covering a distance of 12.5 kilometers and in Phase 2 the line will be extended to Pampore Bus-Stand. The Line 2 will connect Hazuri Bagh to Osmanabad covering a distance of 12.5 kilometers and this line will be extended to Srinagar Airport in Phase 2.
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