Cabinet green signal to Guwahati metro project

GUWAHATI: The state cabinet on Wednesday gave the green signal for implementation of the state government's ambitious Guwahati metro rail project, eleven months after former chief minister Tarun Gogoi laid the foundation stone of the project.
Transport minister Chandramohan Patowary said, "To ease the growing traffic congestion in Guwahati, the cabinet has approved the implementation of the metro rail project.The DPR prepared by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority has been submitted."
The previous Congress government cabinet on February had last year approved the DPR, at an estimated cost of Rs 18,020 crore, with four lines totalling 203 km criss-crossing the city. Gogoi had laid the foundation stone on February 29 last year. The Congress cabinet had also approved the formation of special purpose vehicle, the Guwahati Metro Rail Corporation Limited (GMRCL), for implementing the project.
Patowary, however, dismissed Congress's role in the project. "There was no DPR and no money had been sanctioned. The foundation stone was laid without it. Now, we have the DPR," the minister said.
According to the previous DPR prepared by RITES Limited, a Government of India enterprise, the 203-km metro corridor was to be completed in three phases. Phase I would cover a total length of 61.4 km, which would be an elevated rail route from Dharapur to Narangi.
The new DPR plans on connecting the airport to Narengi via the Guwahati railway station, then cross the Brahmaputra to link North Guwahati in the first of four phases, Patowary said.