State Cabinet puts the lid on Metro

Cabinet will decide Metro fate: Sindhia
Deccan Herald

The Metro Rail project on Tuesday hit another roadblock with Finance and Industries Minister P G R Sindhia saying that the State Cabinet would clear the project only after studying ....

The Metro Rail project on Tuesday hit another roadblock with Finance and Industries Minister P G R Sindhia saying that the State Cabinet would clear the project only after studying its economic and technical viability.

“The Cabinet will discuss threadbare all issues relating to the Metro Rail project, including its route, affordability and burden on the state exchequer before clearing the project. The Cabinet will have the final say,” Mr Sindhia told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on information technology and IT-enabled services organised by the IT Professional Forum in Bangalore. Mr Sindhia’s statement comes at a time when the project is scheduled to be placed before the Centre’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for clearance. JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda had recently written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop the project as it was not brought before the State Cabinet following some questions and observations made by the Public Investment Board.

“The government is not against Metro Rail. But the project in its present form would increase the financial burden on the state government beyond its capacity,” Mr Sindhia said. Earlier, speaking after inaugurating the conference, Mr Sindhia utilised the forum to shore up the government’s image on the infrastructure front.

“We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that Bangalore maintains its pre-eminent position as an industrial hub, not only in India but also in the world,” he said. As many as 77 mega industrial projects worth Rs 70,000 crore had been cleared during the last one year, creating employment potential for four lakh people. Special economic zones had been set up in Hassan and Mangalore and work on the Bangalore International Airport was going on in full swing, he added.

“In a fast-growing city like Bangalore, infrastructure woes are bound to be there. They did not crop up overnight. This government will play a key role in improving the infrastructure and provide a congenial atmosphere for industries to flourish,” he said.