₹288cr sanctioned to expedite Metro work
NOIDA: The Noida Metro Rail Corporation sanctioned a budget of ₹288 crore for the fiscal 2022-23 to develop facilities for commuters and also expedite work on the 14.5km-long Metro corridor connecting Noida with Greater Noida at its board meeting held in Noida’s Sector 29 office on Tuesday.
Chairman of NMRC Kamran Rizvi and additional secretary of the ministry of housing and urban affairs chaired the board meeting, which was also attended by NMRC’s managing director Ritu Maheshwari and other senior officials. The NMRC board cleared three proposals-expediting work on Greater Noida West Metro project, construction of foot over bridge between Blue Line’s Sector 52 Metro station and Aqua Line’s Sector 51 and approving the budget set aside for Metro works for the fiscal 2022-23.
“The board discussed the detailed project report of the 14.5km Metro project...We hope the DPR is approved by next month so that works can accordingly be taken up to improve ridership and enhance the experience of travelling by Metro for commuters,” said Maheshwari.
The NMRC has already sent the DPR of the 14.5km Metro project, which will branch out from Sector 51 Metro station on the Aqua Line and end at Greater Noida West’s Sector Knowledge Park-V. The project will help the Metro to penetrate into the deeper pockets of Noida and Greater Noida West, where at least 350,000 new flats have been constructed, said officials.
Work on this project, which involves a financial outlay of ₹2,682 crore, will be carried out in two phases. The first phase of the project spanning 9.15km will have five Metro stations— Sector 122, Sector 123, Greater Noida Sector 4, Ecotech and Greater Noida Sector 2. In the second phase, four Metro stations—Greater Noida Sector 3, Greater Noida Sector 10, Greater Noida Sector 12 and Knowledge Park V—will be developed. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by 2022.
“We fail to understand why the ministry of housing and urban affairs is not approving the DPR of this Metro project, which will immensely benefit commuters in this area. Work on this project should be started without further delay,” said Vivek Raman, president of Greater Noida West entrepreneur association.