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`Metro Rail Can Be A Reality By 2013': Municipal Commissioner Pravinsinh PardeshiBy Dr arvind, Section Local Transportation
Though traffic and transportation experts have expressed doubts over the civic administration's ambitious metro rail project, municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi is optimistic about the proposal and claims that if approvals are granted as per time-bound schedules, the first metro train could `chug' into the city by March 2013.
Pardeshi made a presentation of the draft plan for the elected members recently. He explained them why it was necessary to take a decision on the project as soon as possible so that the city's traffic scenario improves in future.
The ambitious Rs 6,440 crore project is part of the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) and is currently in the stage of preparing a detailed project report (DPR). Clickon "Full Story" fo rmore...
Although the project looks like a distant dream, unlikely to be completed in the near future -- with citizens experiencing inordinate delays in the construction of just a couple of flyovers -- Pardeshi said that the project could become a reality if elected members and the civic administration together take the responsibility of the project.
"The metro project is not a commissioner-driven plan that dies after one civic chief leaves and another comes in. It is part of the CMP, which is like the development plan (DP), and continues notwithstanding the change in the ruling party or officials. Therefore, I have been explaining the details of the project to the elected members and trying to convince them that the responsibility to successfully complete the project lies with them," Pardeshi said, adding that if the local and state level approvals come on time, the project could be completed as per schedule. Citing another reason, Pardeshi said that the first phase of the project could be completed by 2013 because it involves elevated metro lines only, and that the underground metro lines would be executed at later stages. Pardeshi said it was not feasible for the municipal corporation to implement the project on its own so it was necessary to form an independent body like a special purpose vehicle. Various financial models have been suggested in the draft plan, which includes the Delhi metro rail corporation model, build-operate-transfer with viability gap funding model or the public-private-partnership model. The options of funding sources have been laid out as charging metro cess on sale of petrol and diesel, tax on commercial vehicles entering Pune metropolitan area, levying of additional charges on the new registration of vehicles or ADB loans. TNN
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