India approves Metro rail for small cities | iGovernment.in.
New Delhi: The environment- and commuter-friendly metro rail will soon run in Indian cities having a population of more than 2 million with the government approving the ambitious project.
“We will be looking at the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for metro rails in the cities which have a population of more than 2 million,” Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath said at a press conference here.
The DPRs are prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and submitted to the other states.
“While respective DPRs have been prepared for Pune, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad and Lucknow, the preparation of reports for Indore, Bhopal and Chandigarh is in process,” Kamal Nath told reporters.
The minister also said that the ministry is in talks with the Maharashtra government for getting a DPR for metro in Nagpur, reports IANS.
The Minister informed that projects for the Kochi and line three of the Mumbai metro will be sent for cabinet approval within the next two weeks.
Kamal Nath said the government will support preparation of DPRs for such a system in the cities across the country, by meeting 50 per cent of the cost.
The minister also said that to promote indigenisation in the field of transport, the government will set up a research and design cell as well as focussing on indigenous procurement.
“We have directed Delhi Metro to procure equipment for its Phase-III project through manufacturing facilities based in the country,” he said.
Kamal Nath also said that a National Urban Rail Transit Authority will also be set up to lay donor technical standards and advise government on various metro rail-related issues.