Number of families to be displaced for Surat Metro to reduce by 70 pc

“In the Surat Metro project, we have reduced the number of Project Affected Families (PAFs) from 660 to 192, by making minor realignments. Major acquisition of private properties is done for stations and so we decided to redesign stations in such a way that the least number of families living around the proposed stations on the metro route gets affected,” a senior official of GMRC told The Indian Express.

According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted for first phase of Surat Metro, about 676 households were expected to be affected by the Surat Metro where Rs 375 crore was set aside for relief and rehabilitation of such families. Of those affected by the project, 120 families stood to lose their residences, while 580 others who lose their livelihoods.

“We have made certain alterations to ensure that minimum number of people get affected. Because of these changes, the cost of rehabilitation is also expected to come down for Surat Metro,” the official added.

For instance, in order to save a textile market that was falling on the metro route in the city, GMRC brought about a slight change in the alignment to save the building that had many shops belonging to textile traders.

“Instead of demolishing the building and going straight ahead, we altered the alignment by 20-25 metres and thus saved the structure.

Similarly, we brought about changes in the design of metro stations by altering the entry and exit points to save residences or commercial establishments. Such changes have been brought about in 50 per cent of the proposed stations of Surat Metro,” the official added.

As per the DPR, there were 39 PAFs at Majura Gate metro station. Now it was been reduced to two. Similarly, the number of PAFs at Kamela Darwaja station has been reduced from 22 to two and those at Aquarium station has been reduced to two from 16. After the alterations, there are no PAFs at Bhesan station where earlier, there were four affected families.

To minimise land acquisition, the metro alignment is planned along the centre of existing roads, with single pier supporting the viaduct. This allows existing roads to remain in use, even after the metro is built.

An estimated Rs 12,020 crore is expected to be spent on Surat Metro which was sanctioned on June 2019. The first phase will have a total length of 40.35 kilometres and 38 stations. As part of first phase, two metro corridors will be built in Surat City. The first will link Sarthana to Dream City and the second will link Bhesan to Saroli.