
Jaipur metro phase II work to kick off by Diwali, completion in five years
JAIPUR
: According to a senior metro official,
Rajasthan Metro Railway Corporation
(
RMRC
) has submitted the approved Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Line 2 of Jaipur metro to the union govt and is presently awaiting final approval. Subsequent to this approval, the RMRC will initiate the tender process for the project and issue the work order.
"In a meeting with the chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, we were asked to finish this process by Aug this year. The state govt aims to lay the foundation stone for the project any time before Diwali, considering the forthcoming civic polls," the official told TOI.
While the previous Line 1 project, implemented during the Congress govt's tenure, was fully funded by the state, Line 2 will be a joint venture between the union and state govts. "Under the joint venture, the state govt will provide only 20% of the construction cost. The union govt will contribute another 20%, and the remaining 60% will be arranged through a soft loan. Agencies such as JICA are being considered for the soft loan," said another metro official.
Construction of Jaipur Metro Line 1 (Mansarovar to Chandpole) was funded by the state, while the second phase (Chandpole to Badi Chaupar) relied on a Rs 969 crore loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB), which the state is currently facing difficulties in repaying.
Officials said that planning meetings with the traffic department will soon take place to map out required diversions during construction. It is anticipated that the stretch will require between three to five years to complete. "We shall build the entire corridor in segments, ensuring no inconvenience across more than a 3 to 5 kilometre stretch at any one time," another official said.
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