The UT administration’s proposal to levy congestion tax on outside vehicles is still pending with the central government, the Administrator’s Advisory Council’s standing committee on transport said on Thursday.
Mooted to beat traffic blues, the proposal for the same was sent in February last year.
“As and when nod is secured, modalities for the same will be worked out,” members of the committee said during a meeting presided over by city MP and panel chairman Kirron Kher.
With a population of over 12 lakh and 15 lakh registered vehicles, Chandigarh has the highest density of vehicles per household in the country, leading to acute traffic problems. Then, over 2 lakh vehicles moving on tricity and inter-state routes also cross the city daily, exacerbating the congestion.
Officials of the UT transport department apprised the panel that the mobility plan approved for the tricity towns has been sent for central government nod and a response is awaited.
The plan proposes Metro network in two phases, spread across Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and also Zirakpur, New Chandigarh and Pinjore.
In the first phase, which will be developed between 2027 and 2037, the MRTS is proposed to run from Sarangpur to Panchkula ISBT; Panchkula ISBT to Panchkula extension; Rock Garden to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali Industrial Area and airport; Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Nagar, Sector 26; and Paraul, New Chandigarh, to Sarangpur.
The second phase, to be developed after 2037, will cover three routes: Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar; Zirakpur ISBT to Pinjore ISBT; and NH-64/PR-7 junction to Rajpura.
The panel was also told that the Punjab government had not responded to the proposal regarding exemption of payment of state road tax to tricity school buses. The matter will be included in forthcoming meeting of the Tricity Coordination Committee, which is chaired by the UT administrator.
During the meeting, the panel was told by the transport department that e-tendering process for implementation of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) on long routes had been issued. The ITS system is operational in buses of local routes.
