Chandigarh: Taking a step forward on the proposed Metro project in Chandigarh Tricity area after a series of deliberations on multiple aspects, including its routes, the UT administration has now asked the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) to carry out a detailed operation and maintenance (O&M) analysis and submit a report by November.

With financing for O&M emerging as one of the most crucial segments of the project, the RITES has been asked to keep both aspects — ticket cost from passengers and non-ticketing income, in mind while preparing its analysis report.

Sources in the UT administration said if all goes well, the central government will provide a grant for the project only once, initially for the construction work, therefore the O&M cost has to be borne by all the prime stakeholders, namely Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, as per the set parameters.

“The O&M analysis will be carried out as per the Metro Policy 2017 of the Government of India. Minutes of the previous Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) meeting, chaired by Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, has been circulated, O&M is now the prime focus area to assess the daily income and cost to run the project in Tricity,” officials in the UT said.

We also published the following articles recently