Chandigarh, April 14: The proposed Metro project for the Chandigarh capital region is a vital necessity for regional prosperity, according to Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari. Speaking on the integration of Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and New Chandigarh, Tewari affirmed that the Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) would act as a catalyst for a sophisticated Research Triangle, drawing parallels to successful academic and economic hubs in the United States.
Tewari stated that the project is a strategic response to the lack of heavy industry and large-scale agriculture in the immediate vicinity. By creating a seamless metropolitan area, he maintained, the “Quad Cities” could unlock significant potential in the service and research sectors that currently remains untapped.
“If the states of Punjab & Haryana claim Chandigarh as their capital then both these states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh should pony up to integrate these four Quad Cities into a seamless Metropolitan area,” Tewari asserted. He urged the stakeholders to provide the capital required to bring the Metro to fruition, noting that feasibility has been twice verified by RITES.
The MP also addressed the changing dynamics of the local workforce. He declared that the fear of Chandigarh being “swamped” by outsiders is unrealistic, as the city’s residents are increasingly looking toward the developing outskirts for professional opportunities. He noted that the shift in economic weight to the periphery makes a high-capacity transit system a functional requirement for the city’s own inhabitants.
Warning of a looming infrastructure crisis, Tewari pointed to the deteriorating traffic conditions observed this year. He affirmed that without the Metro, the “Quad City” region faces a gridlocked future, urging immediate collective action from the two state governments and the central administration to secure the region’s economic trajectory.
