Ahmedabad

Narendra Modi

Vijay Rupani

Phase-I of project which has been delayed due to land acquisition and public consultation is likely to be completed only by 2022If you thought you would finally be able to catch a ride on the metro rail and escape the city's traffic next year. Think again. The deadline for Metro project has been derailed once again. Phase I ofMetro Rail Project, which was expected to be ready by 2020, will not be completed only by 2022.Officials reveal that trouble in land acquisition and prolonged public consultation is delaying the development of the metro. While the tracks are being steadily constructed, officials are reportedly facing trouble where stations are being built as they need to acquire private properties for the purpose.Highly placed sources at Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation said, "We are facing issues with land acquisition as well as utilities. The tracks can be built in the middle of the road but stations take more space and need to have entry and exit points. For this, we need to acquire private land which is a tough job. Public consultation is a process, and the process takes time. Metro work is going on but the Phase I will be over only by 2022. No loss or additional cost will be incurred due to the delay."The total length of Phase I of Ahmedabad Metro Rail project is 40.03 km. Of this, around 6.5 km is underground while the rest is an elevated corridor. The first phase will have 32 stations that will connect four corners of Ahmedabad. Around Rs 12,000 crore has been sanctioned for Phase I, of which 50 per cent of the work has already been done and Rs 6,000 crore has been spent.Phase I was approved in October 2014 and 6.5-km stretch from Vastral Gam to Apparel Park was inaugurated by Prime Ministerin March this year.The North-South corridor is 18.87-km long while the East-West corridor is 21.16 km long. Problem areas in East-West corridor include Rabari Colony, Vastral Colony, Kankaria and Shahpur (underground), Stadium, Commerce Six Roads, Doordarshan and Thaltej.The problem areas in North-South Corridor include Old High Court, RTO Circle, Sabarmati railway station and spot opposite Sabarmati Police Station.Listing the issues they face, the sources said, "We have people asking for greater compensation. The land we are looking at might be owned by non-titled people. We have to fight for property that has been encroached upon. We have to follow the Land Acquisition Act. By law, we can compensate only a certain amount to those who do not actually own the property. We are facing trouble getting land only for exit-and-entry points of stations. We are continuously monitoring the situation."Confirming that the project will be delayed by two years, GMRC Managing Director S S Rathore said, "The reason is land acquisition problem and utility problem but we are speeding up work. We are expecting the entire Phase 1 to be completed by 2022.'He added, "We plan to increase the speed of train, currently at 25 kmph, to 80 kmph in the stretch between Vastral gam and Apparel Park Station. This will happen after we get permission from the Commission of Railway Safety. We plan to increase the speed by June 2020. More trains will be added. However, frequency of trains will depend on demand in that area."Recently, GMRC also spent Rs 3.3 crore on resurfacing and patching up roads that were damaged due to the on-going metro work project. Out of the 35-km road covered in metro project, 10 kms needed maintenance.Chief Ministerat a meeting held to review work of Phase 1of the Metro rail project on Wednesday directed officials to speed up work. To ensure that metro project is completed in time, officials of Metro, AMC and others associated with the project will have to work in sync, said the CM. They will have to meet regularly and conduct frequent follow-ups to ensure smooth work of the metro, he added. CM sought information about cross-connection portal stations, update about on-going work, underground and the future work that will be taken up.Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday instructed officials to give clearances and fundamental facilities immediately for setting up of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rajkot at the cost of Rs 1,100 crore. He instructed officials to provide road connection, power, water and other facilities on priority. He also assured complete cooperation to the team that had come from central government.