Govt to give metros a free run, under common code

NEW DELHI: The government will soon introduce a uniform common law for all metro rail transit systems in the country to unshackle them from the bureaucratic hurdles posed by state governments and give a push to the mass rapid transport systems(MRTS) in urban areas.

The urban development ministry has decided to introduce a common law governing all the MRTS in the country. At present, there is no common central law governing the metros.

According to sources, the group of ministers has cleared the draft ‘metro bill’, which has been sent to the law ministry for fine-tuning. The new law will be framed on the lines of the Central Motor Vehicles Act.

The act will help the metros operate within and outside the designated municipal areas. It will bring uniformity and standardisation in the mode of legislations needed to have a MRTS on ground.

According to sources, the GoM’s decision will jettison the clutch of formalities governing the construction and operation of Metros in the cities. “Now, every state will require to adopt the uniform Central law for the metro projects,” sources said.

Presently, the metros cannot extend beyond the prescribed municipal boundaries, without obtaining prior approval from the respective municipal corporations, which is a pretty long-drawn process.

Officials also believe that a uniform law for metros in the country will enable the projects attract more financial assistance from international financial institutions like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. “It will help bolster confidence among the banks to expedite their financial support for the metro projects,” said an official.

“The new Act will give more teeth to the existing metros like Delhi and Kolkata as well as the upcoming ones in Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi and Mumbai to operate the system under one modernised law,” said an urban development ministry official. The Delhi Metro is facing a lot of problems for the extension of its lines to the NCR regions.