Ghaziabad civic body reluctant to share Metro project costs

Ghaziabad : The BJP-run Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad Friday said it might not be possible for it provide its share of funds for the proposed extension of the Delhi Metro line from Dilshad Garden till the New Bus Stand here.

Municipal Corporation Board vice-chairman Rajendra Tyagi said the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has proposed to compensate the local body by paying its money fetched from the resumption of municipal land.


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Tyagi said but the basic issue was on what rate the GDA plans to compensate the municipal corporation. He, however, clarified that the civic body was not against metro, but it was against the stepmotherly treatment with the city.

If the proposal comes, the board would support the project but pressure would be put on the GDA to increase the resumption rate so that the civic body also gains financial strength as it was already running in deficit.

Raising question on the funding pattern by the state, Tyagi said the Samajwadi Party-led government passed the budget of Rs.15,000 crore for the Lucknow metro project, but why it did not sanction a small amount of Rs.1200 crore for Ghaziabad.

The GDA has initiated steps to sign an MoU with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) soon following the Uttar Pradesh cabinet’s nod Wednesday for extension of the Metro line from Dilshad Garden till the New Bus Stand here.

“We expect the construction work of the Metro line to start in the last week of June,” (GDA) vice-chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav said here Wednesday.

As per the funding pattern decided by the UP government in 2013, a total Rs.1,770 crore will be shared by the union government, the state government and the DMRC for the 9.41 kilometre elevated-track project.

The stretch will have seven stations — Shaheed Nagar, Rajbagh, Rajendra Nagar, Shyam Park, Mohan Nagar, Arthala and New Bus Stand.

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