Insistence on underground Metro may delay project

Officials say fresh project report will take 6 months, cost of Metro will go up

Insistence on underground Metro may delay project

Officials say fresh project report willu00a0 take 6 months, cost of Metro will go up

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's promise of a metro corridor for the city may get delayed further as various groups have demanded an underground route. An underground metro will require a new Detailed Project Report (DPR) and further approvals by various agencies.

No consensus: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is the consultant for the
Metro project in the city

The project has already been delayed because of pending approval from the state government, after which it will have to be sent to the Centre for approval. The metro route for the city was planned by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which is the consultant for the project and the DPR was approved by the General Body of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last year.

A PMC official requesting anonymity said that the DMRC might have to prepare a new DPR, which requires at least four to six months. "An underground metro requires more advanced technology like tunnel boring machines. In Mumbai, an elevated metro route which was opposed by citizens was around Rs 50, 000 crores cheaper than the underground metro," said an official.

The Shiv Sena, NCP, BJP and MNS are supporting an underground metro. Senior NCP leader from the city Ankush Kakade admitted that an underground metro would delay the project beyond the 2014 deadline.

A delegation of city Congress leaders led by Corporator Aba Bagul will meet Chavan to push for an elevated metro. "The Sena and the MNS are misleading the people. The DPR has been prepared for an elevated metro. An underground metro will cost 10 times more, and the financial burden will have to borne by Puneites," said Bagul.