State, Centre to ink MoU for Bhopal, Indore Metro rail

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Union government in New Delhi on Monday for the development of Metro rail in Bhopal and Indore. The move will officially pave the way for the Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Company Limited's to access loan from foreign funding agencies.

The two projects are pegged at Rs 14,400 crore and likely to be completed in four years.

MP urban development minister Jaivardhan Singh and senior state government officials would be present on the occasion. “It is the official go-ahead for the project in Indore and Bhopal. Foreign funding agencies are on board,” said MP urban administration and housing development, principal secretary and MPMRCL MD, Sanjay Dubey.

The projects will be part-funded by the central and state governments, besides loans from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and New Development Bank (NDB) for Indore Metro and European Investment Bank (EIB) for the Bhopal Metro.

The inking of MoU removes the final hurdle in the construction of the two projects. Both projects had to be reworked after the Centre announced a new Metro policy for 2017. It also opens a window for private investments in Metro operations by making private participation mandatory for availing central assistance on Metro projects. The Union government's financial support to metro rail project is expected to be 20%.

In October 2018, ahead of the state assembly elections, the Union cabinet had given an in-principle approval for the twin projects. Since then, the first civil work package which includes soil testing and laying of ground work for Bhopal and Indore metro rail project has begun.

The Indore project will run along the Ring Line (Bengali Square - Vijay Nagar - Bhawarsala - Airport - Patasia - Bengali Square). The total number of stations on the line are 30. Bhopal project comprises two corridors of a total length 27.87 Km -- Karond Circle to AIIMS (14.99 Km) and Bhadbhada Square to Ratnagiri Tiraha (12.88 Km).

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Bumpy ride along Metro depot

Drive along Stud Farms (near Jehangirabad), the site for the Metro depot, and you will notice that it is increasingly getting more bumpy. Potholes on the narrowed and barricaded lane of the State Highway is increasingly making commuting difficult. Traffic snarls are becoming more frequent along the road, which is adjacent to the existing railway track. “The approach road is pitch dark. The development of the rail-overbridge and now Metro depot has thrown traffic movement out of gear. Pedestrians are facing the worst time with the monsoon making walking on the sidewalk almost impossible,” said Rajesh Sharma, a businessman.