CHENNAI: "The State Government has decided to go in for a monorail mass rapid transit system to tackle effectively the growing transportation needs of Chennai City after a detailed examinations of all other metro systems," Transport Minister R.Viswanathan said here on Friday.

Disputing the "exaggerated claims" made by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Managing Director E. Sreedharan, the Minister alleged that the MD was trying to whip up a major controversy that the metro rail system advocated by him was the transportation solution for Chennai despite the fact that the entire matter relating to implementing a monorail mass rapid transit system for Chennai was currently in the Madras High Court.

In a statement the Minister said that the Government decided to go in for a monorail system after a detailed examination of all options by the Pallavan Transport Consultancy Services Limited (PTCS), which had recommended categorically that the monorail system was the preferred option. In making its categorical recommendation, PTCS had gone into all aspects such as cost, cost effectiveness, safety, environmental impact, energy efficiency, carrying capacity, least traffic disruption, and the difficulties in underground operation of metro rail in Chennai, which was close to the sea with clayey soil and high water table. It was only after the detailed report that the government entrusted the task of calling for international competitive bids for a monorail mass rapid transit system to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai, which had called for bids. The response to this was due on February 10.

At this juncture, the statement said, Pattali Makkal Katchi MLA G.K. Mani had filed a public interest litigation plea by way of a writ petition in the Madras High Court, challenging the decision of the government to initiate and implement this project with a clear intention of stopping the landmark project.

The matter which came up for hearing on February 2 in the court had been adjourned to February 8 permitting the Government to go ahead with the entire bidding process with the condition that before the final award, the permission of the court had to be taken.

Mr. Sreedharan, the statement said, had completely thrown all norms of propriety to the winds in making all kinds of statements in his letter about the technology options, maligning the monorail system in a totally unsubstantiated manner desperately trying to hard sell and influence the decision in his favour.

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