Chandigarh, April 14 -- It's about time residents give up their hopes of travelling in a Metro within the tricity as UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has reiterated the project is not viable for a small city like Chandigarh which has a population of only about 12 lakh. Speaking at an event, organised by the Chandigarh Residents' Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) on Sunday, Kataria said that for a city like Chandigarh, the expansion of the electric bus service is far more practical and cost-effective than a Metro. "Even offering the bus service for free would be more economical than investing in a full-fledged Metro system," he said, in what is being seen by many as the last nail in the coffin for the Metro project which has been in limbo for over 17 years now. The project was first proposed in 2009 in view of the tricity's rising traffic problems. But over the years, it faced consistent political opposition. This isn't the first time that Kataria expressed his reservations against the Metro. During a 'Meet the Press' interaction earlier this year, the administrator had cautioned against extensive excavation that the project would entail. He had emphasised that if a Metro is pursued, it should primarily cater to commuters from neighbouring cities, while residents within Chandigarh should rely on efficient alternative public transport systems. On Sunday too, while speaking at the CRAWFED event, Kataria said that the city may not be able to generate sufficient ridership to justify the massive investment, particularly as large stretches of the system would need to be underground - substantially escalating construction costs and timelines. He further raised concerns over the project's ability to recover operational expenses and service interest onloans. He suggested that if a Metro is to be pursued, it should be developed as a regional network linking neighbouring cities to ensure adequate ridership and economic viability. In November 2024, Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also echoed similar views, stressing that ridership must be the key benchmark for assessing viability and suggested exploring alternatives such as pod taxis. On the technical front too, the project remains stuck. Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), the agency tasked with preparatory work, has flagged a lack of response from the UT administration for over a year. Approvals for geo-tagging, alternative alignments, and updated feasibility studies-necessary to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR)-are still pending. Officials say the continued silence has stalled progress, even as traffic congestion across the Tricity worsens. Concerns over large-scale excavation, particularly for underground corridors, and its potential impact on Chandigarh's planned layout and heritage character have further fuelled resistance within political and administrative circles. But those with opposing views argue that the Metro may be the only way out of the tricity's growing traffic mess. While raising the issue during the zero hour in Parliament last December, Chandigarh Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari had said, "Each day, large numbers of commuters travel from New Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula to Chandigarh for work, which adds to the city's already strained traffic network. The need for an integrated, modern public transport system has been felt for years. The Metro project would not only help ease congestion but also play a crucial role in reducing pollution, conserving fuel and providing a sustainable mobility solution for the tricity region." He had gone on to remark that "without immediate intervention, the city could become a "hell for traffic" by 2036."...