Stop execution of Jaipur metro rail project: ex-minister

MSN India; Jaipur, Oct 16 (PTI)

Terming the Jaipur metro rail project as a "fancy brainchild" of the Rajasthan government, a former BJP minister has demanded that the project be stopped as the number of passengers did not match with the official projections.

"The 1200-crore project is wholly uneconomic and irrational since there are not two lakh passengers between Mansarover and Chandpole and four lakh passengers between Sitapura and Ambabari, as projected by the state government," Manik Chand Surana told reporters here today.

The state-owned Jaipur City Transport Services (JCTS) Ltd has put 28 low-floor buses between Mansarover to Chadpole and in August the number of passengers on an average was 8266.

Between Sitapura to Ambabari, 18 low-floor buses are plying and the number of passengers in the same month was 4,376.

The above figures need multiplication by 24 and 90 times respectively to reach the figure of two and four lakh passengers, he said referring to an RTI reply by the JCTS Ltd on the average number of passengers on both the routes.

"If we put together other passengers likely to be benefited by the metro rail and presently taking other modes of transport, the average number can not go much higher.

Therefore, what is the need to invest such a huge amount?" the former state Finance and Planning Minister asked.

"I have written to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to stop execution of the project and demanded appointment of a commission of senior administrative officials to work out and examine the actual number of passengers on the two routes and decide accordingly," he said dubbing the project as a product of "distorted priorities and viewpoint".

Surana said that the government can run more low-floor buses and the investment would be many times lower than the metro rail project.

196 low-floor buses are plying in the city and the government is planning to run a total of 209 such buses with an investment of Rs 54.55 crore. The number of buses could be increased as per demand and total investment will be very low in comparison to the 12,000 crore, he said.