The first trial run of Ahmedabad metro rail is expected by October. This was disclosed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Tuesday after reviewing the construction work on the 39km-long project where over Rs 2,750 crore has already been spent. The trial run will be for the first six kilometres of 20.7km-long east-west corridor between Vastral Gam and Thaltej Gam. After inspecting the pace of construction on this 6-km route between Vastral Gam and Apparel Park, Rupani told mediapersons that the first trial run was expected by September-October. “The remaining work on Phase-I of the Rs 10,700 crore project will be completed by 2019.” The CM added that he would try and get Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the 6-km section, besides giving him the credit for giving faster clearances for the project. Ahmedabad metro officials pointed out that it would take at least eight months to a year after the trial run to begin commercial operations. As far as the first six kilometres of the project is concerned, only 50 per cent of work has been completed so far, especially the viaduct where only 3.5 km has been covered, an official source said. The viaduct is being constructed in three spans of 25-28 metres each every week. Tenders for the construction of viaduct in the western reach from Thaltej to Old High Court and an underground section from Shahpur to Gomtipur have been awarded in January-February 2017. Asked about the total quantum of money that had already been spent on the project since the first DPR was prepared in 2005, IP Gautam, managing director of Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA), said, “About Rs 3.5 crore was spent on DPR and other studies between 2005 and 2007. After Sanjay Gupta took over in 2011, around Rs 800 crore was spent, of which Rs 400 core was on land redevelopment at Sabarmati. After we took charge and the DPR passed in November 2014, Rs 1,950 crore has been spent.” At present, former MEGA head Gupta, a retired IAS officer, is fighting a court battle in a Rs 211 crore scam that delayed the metro project. CM Rupani said that a system had been put in place to check corruption in future.
