Chandigarh, Jan 29 – Union Urban Development Minister, Mr. JaipalReddy and Haryana Chief Minister Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda todayflagged off the Trial Run of Delhi- Metro Rail on Gurgaon Section, atHUDA City Center Metro Station of sector 29 Gurgaon today. The TrialRun was upto Guru Dronacharya Metro station in Gurgaon.On this occasion, Mr. Jaipal Reddy said that today is a historic dayfor not only Gurgaon, but the whole of Haryana. Gurgaon is not only anational city but an international city. Sh Reddy appreciated the firmcommitment showed by the Chief Minister Mr Hooda in bringing theMetro Rail to Haryana and appreciated the cooperation extended by thestate government. Mr. Reddy said that Mr Hooda is paying fullattention to the development of the state. Referring to the demand ofextending the Delhi Metro to IMT Manesar, Mr. Reddy said, theproposals regarding running Delhi Metro rail upto Faridabad andBhadurgarh are under consideration. The proposal regarding Manesarwill also be given due consideration. Regardinig Mr Hooda’s demand forPrivate Participation in Metro, Mr Reddy said that the UnionGovernment would soon consider giving formal sanction for a PrivateMetro.Mr. Reddy said that along with urban development, there is also needto pay attention to the development of rural areas. At present, about30 per cent of the population lives in the urban areas and withongoing urbanization, more than 50 per cent population will be livingin towns and cities after some years. Keeping this in view, the PrimeMinister Dr Manmohan is laying stress on the Jawahar Lal NehruNational Urban Renewable Mission. Mr. Reddy said that with the successof Metro Rail, other states are also asking for Metro Rail projects intheir cities.The Haryana Chief Minister Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda congratulatedDelhi Metro Rail Corporation, Union Urban Development Ministry and theOfficers of Haryana Government for completing the Metro rail projectbefore the stipulated time of June 2010. He said that Gurgaon has aspecial place in the NCR and has shown the way of progress andprosperity to other cities. The Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex hasemerged as a major hub of BPO industry. Lakhs of commuters travelevery day, which necessitated the Metro Rail like service. That iswhy, an agreement was signed with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation threeyears ago. Mr. Hooda particularly complimented the MD DMRC Sh ESreedharan for the important role played by him and also thanked theGurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet Singh for his keen interest in Metro RailProject.Mr. Hooda said that with the start of the Metro Rail Service, notonly people of the area will have a comfortable travel, but it willalso upgrade quality of their life. Mr. Hooda said that he plans tostart Metro Rail like service from Indira Gandhi International Airportto Gurgaon. He said that besides developing main roads in the Gurgaonarea, a sum of Rs. 900 crore was being spent by a private partner onthe Metro Rail project under PPP model between Sikanderpur and NH-8.The private partner would be paying revenue of Rs. 760 crore to theHaryana Government over a period of 19 years. Local Bus Service willalso be strengthened, so that maximum number of people may avail ofthe Metro rail service. For this, 750 Low-Floor buses are beingarranged and 400 buses will be available by October 2010.Union Minister of State for Urban Development Mr Saugata Roy saidthat this day is a day of pride for the citizens of Haryana. The ChiefMinister Mr Hooda got this project because of his firm commitment. Theproject has cost Rs 763 crores, out of which 80 per cent has beengiven by Haryana Government. The State Government has also given Rs.111 crores for the work of Metro Rail from Qutub Minar to HaryanaBorder.Haryana State Agriculture Minister Mr Sukhbir Kataria said that withMetro Rail, not only the journey will be easy, but pollution levelwill also come down. He also requested for similar service for PalamVihar and Old Gurgaon areas.Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet Singh said that Metro Rail Service willprovide impetus to the development of the area. It is like a dreamcome true. This will also reduce the congestion on the roads. He alsourged that for Gurgaon and adjoining areas, the proposal for startinglocal rail service for 6 KM distance should also be implemented. Healso laid stress on improving the parking facilities, in view of theincreasing traffic.Badshahpur MLA Rao Dharampal thanked Mr. Jaipal Reddy and Mr. Hoodafor the Metro Rail Service upto Gurgaon and also said that thisservice should be extended upto IMT Manesar.Gurgaon is the second township after Noida, where Delhi Metro hasentered. After start of the Metro Rail Service, about two lakhcommuters will be able to use the service between Central Secretariatand Gurgaon. This will reduce the time of journey from one and a halfhours to about 45 minutes. Gurgaon section will have 5 stations- HUDACity Center, IFFCO Chowk, MG Road, Sikanderpur and Guru DronacharyaMetro Station. The 12.53 KM Central Secretariat- Qutub Minar Sectionwill be fully underground. The HUDA City Center Metro Station is amajor achievement for DMRC from the architectural point of view. Thestation has a special lift for the physically challenged persons.Parking facilities will be available at all the five stations.DMRC Chairman Mr. Ramachandran appreciated the initiative taken bythe Haryana Chief Minister and also the full cooperation given by thestate government.The MD of DMRC Mr Sridharan said that Delhi Metro has fulfilled itspromise and we are ready to start the projects within two months, muchbefore the deadline of June 2010. He said that if more projects aregiven to us in future, we are ready to take up.
