The journey of a gigantic project
Here’s a recap of the conceptualisation and planning of the Metro rail project, along with the hurdles that had to be sidestepped to make way for a fast paced, hasslefree transit system
LUCKNOW: After a long wait, the days of seamless travel are finally round the corner.
In 2013, the then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav decided to strengthen the existing transport system by going in for a mode which would not only provide rapid transit and permanent relief from traffic jams but would also symbolise the state’s intention to progress in tandem with the rest of the country. And metro turned out to be the best option.
Though there were talks of metro rail system during the regime of Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, despite the feasibility report in its favour, she chose memorials over it.
But Akhilesh Yadav announced the implementation of Lucknow Metro Rail Project as a ‘public transport system’ in his budget speech of Financial Year 2013-14.
Subsequent to this announcement, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared for this project. It was approved by the state government and the ministry of urban development (MoUD), Government of India gave ‘in-principle’ approval to the implementation of North - South (N-S) corridor as proposed in the DPR.
FORMATION OF SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE
Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC), a special purpose vehicle (SPV), jointly owned by the Government of India (GoI) and the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) was formed after its clearance from the Public Investment Board (PIB) on August,6, 2015.
The union cabinet also approved the metro project on December 22, 2015. The project is now being implemented under 50:50 joint venture (JV) model with equity participation from the Government of India (Gol) and the government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP).
WHAT IS SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE?
The UP government has constituted a ‘special purpose vehicle’ (SPV), namely Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation Limited, for implementation of this project. The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) is a registered company under the Companies Act, 1956.
Padma Vibhushan ‘Metro Man’ Dr E Sreedharan, to whom the credit of execution of Delhi Metro goes, is the principal advisor of Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation.
The Uttar Pradesh government has appointed Kumar Keshav as the managing director of Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation.
Keshav, who assumed office on August 18, 2014, is highly experienced in the area of Metro construction and implementation.
HOW THE ‘METROMAN’ WAS ROPED IN
According to insiders, roping in the Metroman was the initiative of the then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. He decided to go ahead with the Metro project with great enthusiasm but was stuck at every point when it came to implementation.
Then a bureaucrat (who worked in Delhi when DMRC constructed Delhi Metro) advised him to hire the services of Metroman E Sreedharan.
The chief minister personally called Sreedharan for help and offered him a permanent post to monitor the project which the Metroman politely declined. But he agreed to become principal adviser to guide and monitor the project, which was the main aim of the chief minister.
Everyone felt that there was need for a rail-based mass transit system in Lucknow but no one knew where to start this system.
Heavy encroachment, lopsided planning and political interference at every stage plagued the progress of the city and was the major hindrance in a smooth transport system.
But when E Sreedharan was roped in, he made it clear that political interference would not be entertained at the cost of the people and the project.