The Indian Urban Development (UD) Ministry has set up a seven-member Metro Advisory Board to streamline metro railway networks across the country.
The new board will handle the financing and execution of any project for the construction of the metro railway and facilitating the exchange of information on planning.
According to industry experts, the new board will need to work to standardise various technical parameters as well as various tender conditions, monitoring procedures and formats.
There is also pressure on the group to work towards indigenisation of various components being used in Metro Rail systems in the country.
Sudhir Krishna, who will be heading the advisory board, said: “The Metro Advisory Board is constituted for formulating and coordinating plans for the development of Metro Railways and its expansion.”
Krishna informed reporters that: “A committee to standardise the usage of components in metro had also been set up.”
Members of the advisory board include, Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna, A.P. Mishra and Kul Bhushan, members of Railway Board, V. Ramachandran, Director General of RDSO, Anjuly Chib Duggal from the Finance Ministry, Prem Narain, Principal Advisor Planning Commission and S.K. Lohia, who is the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Urban Development Ministry.
The first meeting of the Metro Advisory Board is scheduled will be held on June 29, at the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Railways Ministry, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
