Chandigarh, Jan. 9 -- UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday threw a spanner in the Metro plans for the Tricity, stating that the city cannot be dug up for a project that may not be financially viable.

Speaking during a 'Meet the Press' event at the Chandigarh Press Club, Kataria said he had asked the engineering department to study the Metro models in other cities and assess their profitability before any approval is considered.

The Metro was first proposed in 2009 to address the rising traffic congestion in the Tricity. A detailed project report (DPR) was prepared in 2012 but the project ran into multiple hurdles over the years.

Among its most vocal critics was former Member of Parliament Kirron Kher, who too had stated in ...