Haryana asks for feasibility study

The upcoming Delhi-Sushant Lok (Gurgaon) metro link could well get hooked up to the futuristic industrial hub of Manesar with the Haryana government asking the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRCL) for getting a feasibility study conducted for extending the metro rail link.

Keeping in view its expertise in conducting such studies and executing large scale intra city public transportation system, the state government wants to assign the study to DMRCL without going into any bidding process.

Top officials said that the state government has already communicated its intentions to DMRCL for getting Manesar connected with the metro link besides having a intra-city multi-modal public transportation for Gurgaon.

When asked Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning, Shakuntla Jakhu said that the study will entail an assessment of the existing traffic of Gurgaon-Manesar Complex and its envisaged growth trajectory in view of the 2021 development plan. “ Also, we would like to work out alternate modes for intra-city multi modal public transport for Gurgaon with metro extension link as its backbone,’’ Jakhu said.

The government has also requested the Union Ministry of Urban Development to accord an in principle approval for carrying out this study from DMRCL on the terms and conditions to be specified by DMRCL.

The under construction Delhi-Sushant Lok metro trail project entails construction of a 14.47 kilometer long corridor from Qutub Minar to Sushant Lok at a cost Rs 1422 crores. The 7.42 kilometer portion from Qutub Minar to Haryana border will come up at a cost Rs 734 crore while the 7.05 kilometre portion from Haryana border to Sushant Lok will cost Rs 688 crore.

The Delhi-Gurgaon metro will provide a direct link to Connaught Place (CP) and Delhi University and the travel time from CP Sushant Lok will get reduced from 90 minutes by road to 55 minutes by metro. An estimated 1.82 lakh commuters will benefit form the link by 2011 with the figure likely to rise to 2.82 lakhs commuters by 2021. The project is likely to be completed by October 2010 well before the Commonwealth games.

While the Delhi portion will have three stations at Chattarpur, Ghitroni, and Arjan Garh there will be five stations in Haryana part at Garden Estate, Sikandarpur, DT city centre, IFFCO chowk and Sushant Lok.

The Haryana government had got a detailed project report prepared from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for extending the metro connectivity from Central Secretariat - Qutub Minar corridor of Delhi Metro phase–II to Sushant Lok in Gurgaon by the DMRC. The Group of Ministers (GoM) at Centre had cleared the metro connectivity to Gurgaon on October 17 last year. The state government will bear the land cost of Rs 20 crore while the capital cost of network which will be about Rs 570 crore will be shared by Haryana and Centre in the 80:20. The cost of rolling stock, estimated at Rs 98 crore will be borne by the DMRC. The state government will also contribute an additional amount of Rs 111 crores as grant for the Delhi portion as the 7.42 kilometres extension from Qutub Minar to Haryana border has been agreed on Haryana’s specific request.

Metro link between IGIA and Gurgaon on anvil

A hi speed metro link between the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and Gurgaon could also become a reality with the state government agreeing for getting a separate study conducted by the DMRCL in this regard.

In fact, since the DMRCL was planning to provide a metro link between the IGIA and New Delhi railway station, it had sought the views of the Haryana government if it also proposes to have a similar metro connectivity between Gurgaon and IGIA. The detailed project report for the IGIA-New Delhi metro link has already been accepted by the Government of India and the Delhi government. Now with Haryana showing its keenness to join in, the planning would have to be dovetailed for this future metro circuit.