Chennai: It is good news Chennaiites. The dream metro rail travel could be the government’s gift to you this New Year.
CMRL (Chennai metro rail limited) has for the first time officially declared that it has planned to commercially run the city's metro train on the elevated Koyambedu-Alandur section even before December. DC was the first to report that CMRL commercial run was slated for late November.
The good news was revealed on Friday by none other than Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu who inspected the Alandur metro station before reviewing the project implementation earlier in the day.
When Naidu informed media persons that the Koyambedu-Alandur section was slated to be completed by March, officials around him, union urban development secretary Shankar Agarwal and managing director of CMRL prompted, “before December.”
“They (officials) are saying December. We have to be sure of safety, trial run and other factors. They have scheduled it for December. I hope by the advent of New Year, people of Chennai will be traveling by metro rail,” the minister added. As if it were not enough, the minister further said, “Let us first enjoy it (commercial run of metro rail) in January. Then we can think of phase-II,” reacting to a query about the Centre sanctioning the phase-II of CMRL.
The minister further gladdened Chennaiites by expressing willingness to extend the network up to Tiruvottiyur, as was sought by Chief Minister.
Referring to his rendezvous with CM earlier in the day during which the latter gave him a long wish list, Naidu said, “I have responded positively,” to the 9km extension till Tiruvottiyur, which is a “very congested area.”
