Comprehensive changes are likely in the Guwahati MRTS (Mass Rapid Transport System) project, which includes the ambitious metro rail project, in view of the new Metro Rail Policy 2017. The State government will integrate the entire transport system under the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) before the metro rail can see the light of the day. UMTA is a mandatory requirement under the new policy of the Government of India, the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV), namely Guwahati Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, might be put on hold to adapt the first metro rail project of the Northeast as per the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) guidelines.
Also, the State government has plans to extend the metro corridors from Dharapur to Guwahati airport and Jalukbari to North Guwahati, which means that the detailed project report (DPR) has to be revised to incorporate the new metro corridors.
It needs mention here that the State government had planned to include the proposed location for the All India Institute for Medical Science (AIIMS) at Changsari under the loop of metro corridor. The length of the additional corridor would be around 24 km.
The DPR for rail-based MRTS in Guwahati was first prepared in 2016 for a total length of 61 km, consisting of four corridors. RITES, a Government of India enterprise, first prepared the original DPR that now needs a recast with inclusion of the proposed new work. The project cost, at the time of its inception, was estimated at Rs 18,020 crore.
The UMTA would ensure the complete multi-modal integration of transport system, including all forms of surface transport, water transport and river transport, for maximum utilisation of transport capacities of the metropolitan.
(Sources)
