Metro link Chandigarh

After over five decades of its creation, Chandigarh — epitome of planning and architecture, designed by French architect Le Corbusier — is under the threat of losing its splendour and beauty if the Metro rail project makes its way through the city. With the project gaining momentum day by day in Chandigarh, the city’s planners and environmentalists are up in arms against it. In its attempt to bring in a Metro link between Chandigarh and satellite towns Panchkula and Mohali, the UT Administration will not be able to maintain the uniqueness of the City Beautiful, according to urban planners. Project votaries claim it is the only solution to the ever-increasing traffic and pollution but they also admit that it poses an environmental threat for Chandigarh. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been conferred with the task to prepare a detailed project report (DPR). A high-powered committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Urban Development in 2007 had suggested surface transport as the preferred mass rapid transport system and viable means of public transportation, against the Metro or monorail in the city. But this has apparently been overlooked as soil testing is being done for the Metro. According to senior architects, the Metro would undermine the aesthetics and character of the City Beautiful, particularly in its core areas — Madhya Marg and Himalaya Marg. There are doubts about its flexibility and limited capacity to be used as a city-wide system, along with its high cost. For the underground stretches, roads will be ploughed and trees cut down. There would be a need to create parking spaces but alas, there is no space. Also, the DMRC team has encountered water table quite high — at just 3.5 metres below the surface — during soil testing. De-watering would be required, which is an uphill task. Funding of Rs 15,000 crore by the three stakeholders — Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana — is also another hurdle. At present, Punjab and Haryana Governments are sharing 25 per cent cost each, while 50 per cent is being borne by the UT Administration, out of the total amount of Rs 3 crore. DMRC has proposed two corridors in the first phase. The east-west corridor will start from Sector 21 Panchkula and lead to Railway Station Chandigarh, Sector 17 Plaza, PGIMER, Sarangpur, up to Mullanpur. En route, the Metro will also pass through Sectors 12, 12A, 11, 14, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5. The north-south corridor will start from the Secretariat to culminate at Aerocity in Mohali, via Rock Garden, Sector 9, Aroma Chowk, Sector 43, Sector 52 (Mohali), Sector 72 (Mohali) —- with a total length of 14 km (underground 8.7 km and elevated 5.3 km). The DMRC team has proposed that the elevated portion will roughly have stations every 1 km and in underground portion, at an average 1.2 km. Also, it is expected to stay underground in the sectoral grid. Part of the Dream Weave Walk Network 1998-2012