Seven months after receiving safety clearance
Chennai: Nearly seven months after receiving safety clearance, the first stretch of Chennai Metro’s Phase-2 network is still waiting for an inauguration date from Prime Minister Narendra Modi , leaving a 14.64km line closed to passengers. “Initially, we were told the inauguration could happen at the end of Sept, but till Sept 21, there was no update. Indore’s 11km Priority Corridor-2 was inaugurated on Sept 5 by Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal in the presence of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav.
Sources said CMRL was awaiting confirmation from the Prime Minister’s Office. We think it may happen in the first week of Oct,” the source said. The inauguration could be clubbed with other programmes during the Prime Minister’s visit to Chennai, officials said. In Aug, officials had also said the Prime Minister might inaugurate the Chennai stretch along with an Indore Metro corridor through video conferencing from New Delhi. A seven-month delay when the stretch is ready is beyond reasonable,” said S Prashanth, an Iyyappanthangal resident who works in Vadapalani. Why can’t they inaugurate it with ministry-level officials?” he said.
However, there was no confirmation of the PM’s visit to the city as of Tuesday. After the initial approval, CMRL complied with the conditions and subsequently received clearance, with relaxations in train speed and frequency, in May. That plan did not materialise. With the new corridor, Indore’s operational Metro network expanded to about 17km. For commuters, the prolonged wait means a line that has cleared the safety process remains unused. “Many of us are waiting for the line to open. We want to switch from our bikes to Metro trains for our daily commute. “Why is the PM so busy giving a date for inauguration, and why is the Tamil Nadu govt waiting for the PM?
The inauguration was earlier delayed amid the state assembly elections, as CMRL had planned a grand event with the Prime Minister opening the line.