Chennai: As the first phase of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited(CMRL) is now fully operational across Chennai, residents are hoping for the authorities to take up the second phase of the project soon and complete the work at the earliest.
The CMRL has proposed to take up the second phase, spanning 119 km across three corridors, and the tender for phase-2 will be floated by June this year. In the meanwhile, soil testing has been in progress in various parts of the city, including Rajiv Gandhi Road(Old Mahabalipuram Road), for the past few months.
The first phase of the metro spanning 45 km faced considerable delays in construction due to various reasons. While its work commenced in 2011, and the CMRL had slated to complete it by 2015, the entire network - the Green Line and the Blue Line - became operational only recently. As a result, the total cost, which was estimated at Rs 14,600 crore, increased to Rs 19,000 crore.
The second phase, which is more than double the first in terms of the area it covers, is estimated to cost Rs 69,000 crore.
In the second phase, the CMRL plans to open up service across the following three corridors - Madhavaram to Sholinganallur, Madhavaram to Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT - Koyambedu), and Lighthouse to Meenakshi College.
A loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) is already in place and the CMRL also has an in-principle approval from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and other institutions. Local residents are hoping that with these agreements in place, the CMRL will not have to wait for the Centre to release funds for Phase II.
During the first phase, the CMRL faced several litigations and issues related to vendors, heritage buildings, and natural calamities. An activist, Mr P. Prakasam, said,
“The CMRL must learn a lesson from the experience and strive to complete the second phase at the earliest. They should also complete land acquisition at the earliest. Additionally, authorities including the Centre and the State government really need to prioritize this project.”
