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Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rajasthan CM okays detailed project report of Jaipur metro phase-II
JAIPUR : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has approved the detailed project report of Jaipur Metro Phase-2 and sent it to the Centre, according to an official statement on Wednesday. The construction work of this project will start as soon as the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approves the report. Work on Phase 2 of Jaipur Metro was announced in the 2025-26 state budget. The project on the 42.80-km stretch from Todi Mode to Prahladpura would be implemented by Rajasthan Metro Rail Corporation , a new 50:50 joint venture company of the state and Central government. It would be responsible for all current and future metro projects of Jaipur city. A loan for this project which is estimated to cost about Rs 12,260 crore would be provided by financial institutions. Once completed, this stretch of Jaipur Metro would have 36 stations of which two would be underground. This corridor will connect the major residential, commercial, educational and industrial areas of the city like the VKI Industrial Area and the Sitapura Industrial Area.
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Business Standard
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Land, parking to policy: What changes have been recommended for metro rail
India's rapidly expanding metro rail network may soon see a raft of reforms aimed at removing bureaucratic hurdles, revenue expansion, and making metro rail stations more commuter-friendly. At a recent national-level meeting of Metro Rail heads and government officials, several key recommendations were discussed that could pave the way for a more efficient and sustainable urban transport system. According to a report by The Indian Express, the proposals range from overhauling land acquisition procedures to drafting new parking and revenue policies. The conference was held in Gandhinagar in March and attended by officials from all metro corporations and the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. India operates 1,000 km of metro rail across 23 cities, with another 1,000 km being built. However, ridership remains low in many cities. Poor planning, limited parking, and weak last-mile links have been cited as the causes for low usage in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Chennai. Only a few lines, like Delhi Metro and Mumbai Line 1, meet expectations. The meeting urged better integration and service to make metros a viable alternative to private transport. Some of the recommendations made were: Tackling delays in land acquisition for metro lines One of the critical bottlenecks flagged by participants was the delay in acquiring land due to the mandatory social impact assessment (SIA) required under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. The gathering suggested that states consider issuing exemptions for metro projects, much like Gujarat and Maharashtra have already done, to speed up implementation timelines. Further, officials called for amendments to the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, which currently restricts land acquisition powers to the Union government. Granting these powers to metro administrations or state governments could streamline the process, sources told The Indian Express. Alternative revenue streams at metro stations Given that fare collections alone are insufficient to meet operating costs, there was consensus on expanding non-fare revenue streams. Recommendations included: Allowing residential and commercial developments along metro corridors Approving higher floor area ratios for projects near stations Offering long-term land leases Transporting cargo during off-peak hours using metro infrastructure A dedicated committee is expected to be established to explore these ideas further and suggest new policy or legislative frameworks. More parking space at metro stations With parking cited as a key reason for poor ridership in several cities, the need for better parking infrastructure was emphasised. Proposals included constructing multi-level parking and enabling basement parking at underground stations. A separate committee will be tasked with drafting a national metro parking policy.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Land acquisition, parking and non-fare revenue: top Metro officials recommend changes
Over four decades since the first Metro rail was started in India, the government is considering changes to existing legislation and drafting new policies to speed up new projects and make existing networks more convenient for users, The Indian Express has learnt. From amending provisions related to land acquisition to new policies for parking at metro stations and increasing non-fare box revenue, managing directors of Metro Rail companies and officials of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) have made a range of recommendations at a recent conference. The conference, held on March 31 and April 1 in Gandhinagar, saw the participation of senior ministry officials, MDs, and other officers of all metro corporations. According to sources, all participants raised concerns over the time taken to acquire land for metro projects due to the requirement of conducting a social impact assessment under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Citing the examples of Gujarat and Maharashtra, where exemptions had been issued, the conference decided that other state governments should also amend the Act to dispense with the social impact assessment for Metro projects, it is learnt. The officers also deliberated on amending the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, which does not require a social impact assessment, but only empowers the Union government for land acquisition. It was decided that 'suitable amendment' was needed in the Act to empower the Metro Rail administration or the appropriate government to acquire land as well, a source said. To increase non-fare revenue, the conference decided that residential development around metro corridors, long-term leases, and higher floor area ratios should be allowed. They also suggested that cargo should be allowed to be transported on metro trains in non-peak hours. The conference decided to set up a committee to suggest policy or legislation to increase non-fare box revenue. To make metro stations more convenient for users, the officials discussed making more multi-level parking, as well as basement parking at underground stations. For this, too, they decided to set up a committee for drafting a parking policy, according to sources. As of January this year, there is about 1,000 km of metro network functional across 23 cities, with around 1,000 km more under construction, as per data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. This makes India's metro network the third largest in the world. The first metro was opened in Kolkata in 1984. While evaluating the functioning of metros in the country, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs had in 2022 flagged the need to increase ridership and flagged the lack of parking as one of the reasons for commuters to stay away. As of December 2024, the total daily ridership of all Metros was around 1 crore. The committee had also recommended increasing non-fare box revenue. 'It is disheartening for the Committee to observe that barring Delhi and Mumbai Line 1, most of the operational metros viz Bengaluru metro, Hyderabad metro, Lucknow metro, Chennai metro, Kolkata metro and Kochi metro have low ridership…The dismal performance of the majority of the metro rail networks in terms of carrying passengers enough to breakeven even after six to seven years of continuous operations shows that (i) faulty DPRs [detailed project reports], (ii) lack of proper planning to provide first and last mile connectivity, (iii) provision of parking at metro rail stations, (iv) need for increasing catchment area, etc,' the committee's report in April 2022 had said. The committee had recommended that a 'compelling proposition should be made available to them [commuters] in terms of comfort, convenience, quality, affordability and reliability, etc.' Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
How metro can pay for itself and build low-cost homes
Five years ago, the Tamil Nadu govt chose a progressive financial tool to build affordable houses in areas that were growing fast, aided by public infrastructure investment. These homes, under state and central housing schemes, would receive bonus funding thanks to higher property values wherever the govt was spending on metro rail mechanism at work, Land Value Capture (LVC), helps raise funds for housing — and potentially for future metro rail projects — by creating a land value 'uplift'. Just announcing an infrastructure project triggers a rise in property prices. It is unclear how much funding came through LVC for the proposed housing programme in the past five years, but the prospects for using such funds for transport projects look the 2025 budget, the state govt announced plans to introduce new metro rail lines, extend existing ones, launch a regional rapid transport system (RRTS) covering several districts, and build a 2,000-acre city near Chennai. This is part of a planned shift to transport-oriented development (TOD) in cities and towns. Given that metro rail Phase II involves public expenditure of ₹63,246 crore in Chennai and ₹10,740 crore in Coimbatore under equity sharing and multilateral institution loans, the resulting real estate premium should accrue significantly to the govt, and not just to private real estate developers. Additional metro lines are on the cards, and Madurai is also on the list of proposed state budget announced the RRTS semi-high-speed train format to link Chengalpattu, Villupuram, and Vellore with Chennai, and Tirupur-Salem with Coimbatore. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo The model RRTS between Delhi and Meerut, with a price tag of ₹30,274 crore and a top speed of 160 km/h, is funded through multilateral and domestic tax funding. Investments have pushed up property prices around stations, with Chennai seeing rates rise by thousands of rupees per square foot. One gated community on Anna Salai near a metro station advertises luxury flats starting at ₹7 crore, highlighting the potential to fund affordable housing through value Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs defines the benefits of public infrastructure funding and LVC thus: "Value capture is based on the principle that private land and buildings benefit from public investments in infrastructure and govt's policy decisions. Part of the increment in the value of land and building should be captured to fund projects being set up for the public by the central/state govt and urban local bodies." In Tamil Nadu, value capture from the metro is limited to commercial use of station spaces, advertising, and naming rights. While Chennai's third master plan's (2026-46) revised terms of reference mention LVC, this needs to be applied to Tier II cities works by monetising the economic surplus generated through govt planning, as seen in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US. High-capacity rail hiked land values by 60% in New York and 40% in San Francisco near stations. A third of London's Crossrail (metro) system was funded through a business tax on non-domestic properties. Private entities here enjoy the premium from metro rail entirely, in the absence of a framework to estimate, quantify, and share value gain by the real estate developer and gap stands in contrast to the many charges that builders pass on to property buyers. Gated communities earmark "pass-through" charges running into a few lakhs of rupees per flat, which includes documented and undocumented payments to civic agencies in charge of services such as electricity and water provision. One builder recently quoted ₹3 lakh as pass-through charges for a 2 BHK flat in Padur, South Chennai. Under a transparent framework, grey pricing and black money would be eliminated, and the value gains proportionately harvested by the govt towards metro rail and bus network of the methods used to extract value followed so far is transferable development rights (TDR). More than a decade ago, the CMDA was allowing TDR under the Chennai master plan for private lands acquired, but the concept got off to a slow start partly due to a lack of clarity on pricing. Value capture would extend govt gains through a land value levy. In greenfield projects such as the planned satellite city, the govt could hold land until infrastructure is ready and sell at market rates. The same approach applies to Tier 2 cities such as Coimbatore and Madurai. It would also be fair, considering civic planning agencies are willing to give a higher floor space index to the builder around metro Union govt says value capture financing "is an opportunity for the private sector because the projects are planned for the overall development, thus increasing the value and are also backed by the govt". An equitable system could levy a betterment charge on builders on the rate per square foot, which should not be passed on to the flat purchaser by law. High-value commercial properties, such as business towers, could be charged a higher property tax rate. In all instances, LVC funds should be sequestered for use in housing and transport state govt would have to start by creating empowered planning and transport integration bodies for major cities, discover the value uplift from various investments, and decide on appropriate financial arrangements to appropriate some of the value it has helped generate.(The writer is a Chennai-based journalist)Email your feedback with name and address to
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BMRCL refuses to disclose fare fixation committee report despite public, political pressure
Despite mounting pressure from commuters, elected representatives, and Right to Information (RTI) requests, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has refused to publish or share the report prepared by the fare fixation committee (FFC) that recommended the controversial Namma Metro fare hike earlier this year. The report, which was prepared by a three-member FFC comprising R. Tharani, former judge of the Madras High Court; Satyendra Pal Singh, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; and E.V. Ramana Reddy, retired IAS officer and former additional chief secretary to the Government of Karnataka, remains inaccessible to the public. The Hindu also filed an RTI application in February 12 with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs seeking a copy of the FFC report. The Ministry subsequently transferred the application to the managing director of BMRCL. However, no response has been received to date. MPO asks for second time BMRCL's reluctance to disclose the report has drawn sharp criticism from Tejasvi Surya, Bangalore South MP, who has made repeated appeals demanding transparency in the fare revision process. Mr. Surya took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, stating that he had sent a second letter to BMRCL MD M. Maheshwar Rao demanding the report's release. 'In the wake of the steep hike in metro fares, public interest demands that the FFC report be made available immediately to ensure transparency and accountability,' Mr Surya wrote, citing the lack of official response to his earlier letter dated April 28. 'This delay stands in sharp contrast to the practices followed by other metro organisations and goes against the interest of openness and informed discourse,' he added. Recently, Bengaluru resident Madhan Kumar C. also filed an RTI asking not just for the FFC report but also for specific details such as whether any committee members were sent abroad, which countries were visited, the dates of the visits, and the observations made during those trips. However, he alleged in a post on X that BMRCL did not furnish any of the requested information. The FFC is a statutory body with quasi-judicial powers tasked with determining metro rail fares across India. It considers various factors such as operational costs, maintenance expenses, and staff salaries before recommending fare changes. The fare hike announced by BMRCL on February 9 triggered widespread backlash from commuters and quickly turned into a political controversy. In some cases, the hike neared 100%, sparking criticism from both ruling and opposition parties. Following the public uproar, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervened on February 13 and instructed BMRCL to revise the hikes, labelling them 'abnormal.' Subsequently, the fare hike was capped at a maximum of 71% for stage-wise travel. However, the base fare and highest fare — ₹10 and ₹90, respectively — remained unchanged.
