NEW DELHI: Litigation and unavailability of land for construction of projects have affected timely implementation of many Metro rail projects in Delhi, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
According to information from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, delay in land acquisition, termination of contracts due to poor performance of the contractor and delay in tunnelling due to mixed ground conditions with high water table were the main reasons behind the slow progress of Phase I of Chennai Metro projects.
The approved date for the completion of the project was July 2017. It has been extended to December 2018.
Similarly, Kochi Metro project was delayed due to land-related issues. The completion date was extended from June 2017 to December 2019.
Officials said mass rapid transit system like metro rail not only facilitate easy and quick movement of people but also have a positive impact on the environment and economic growth of the city, thus also benefitting people not using them. So, delay in construction of metro projects affects common people in many ways.
In order to create an ecosystem for implementation of metro rail projects, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs formulated the Metro Rail Policy, 2017. The policy aims at ascertaining and enhancing the feasibility of metro rail projects from economic, social and environmental perspectives. It endeavours to focus on systematic planning and implementation of metro rail systems and acts as a guide to state governments for preparing comprehensive proposals for metro rail projects, he said.
Officials said that urban transport is a state subject. Therefore, respective state governments are responsible for initiating and developing urban transport infrastructure including metro rail projects.