Modi government clears Railway land for Ahmedabad metro project.

The Centre has finally given its nod to the Gujarat government for using unused Western Railways land along the Botad- Sabarmati meter gauge line in Ahmedabad city for its ambitious Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro link. After clearing Rs. 10,773 last month, this is the second gift to Ahmedabad -Gandhinagar metro by the Narendra Modi government.

The elevated metro route in phase-I from Ashram Road will now shift to a 8-km stretch from Vejalpur to Nava Vadaj. Five of the seven stations in this stretch will be built on on railways land. The Gujarat government has since dumped the draft project report that included the busy Ashram Road.

'As the nod to use railways land had been pending with UPA government since 2012, an alternate route from APMC to Ashram Road was planned,' said Road and Transport Minister Nitin Patel. 'The Narendra Modi government has given clearance and accordingly changes have been made,' he added. In the new plan, which will go to Jivraj from APMC, there is an extra 2 km for which there will be an additional station.

THE INDIAN EXPRESS