Cabinet clears faster transfer of land for metro rail projects

 In a decision to speed up transfer of land for implementtion of metro rail projects, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided that once such a project is approved, all ministries would give operating rights on the relevant land sought by the metro rail company immediately.

The decision will help avoid time and cost overruns. The proposal is to restrict ministries, departments or PSUs of the central government from asking for land in exchange for land required for the implementation of such projects, an official statement said.

The concerned Ministry would be compensated in monetary terms for the transferred land based on the rates as per prevailing guideline values, it said. "Once a metro rail project has been approved by the Cabinet, all Ministries/Departments would give operating rights on the relevant land sought by the Metro Rail Company, immediately," the statement said.