Cabinet okays Rs 63,000 crore Chennai Metro Rail Phase-II project

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs for Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase-II, comprising three corridors.

The project completion cost is Rs 63,246 crore and is planned to be completed by 2027. The total length of the approved lines will be 118.9 km with 128 stations.

Once Phase-II is fully operational, Chennai will have a total Metro Rail network of 173 km.

Ahead of Diwali, the Union Cabinet also approved productivity-linked sops for railway employees and workers at major ports (owned by the central government).

This includes a standard Diwali bonus for railway workers, which will cost the Centre Rs 2,068 crore, and a modified productivity-linked reward (PLR) scheme for port workers, with a financial implication of Rs 200 crore.

“The modified PLR scheme, applicable from 2020-21 to 2025-26, will benefit about 20,704 employees of Major Port Authorities and Dock Labour Board employees/workers,” the Cabinet said.

This PLR scheme will foster better industrial relations and a congenial work atmosphere in the port sector, apart from stimulating better productivity, the Cabinet added.

Recently, major port workers had called for a nationwide strike over wage dissatisfaction, which was averted on the eve of the strike due to successful negotiations.

For the Diwali bonus for railway workers, the maximum amount payable per eligible railway employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days.

“The above amount will be paid to various categories of railway staff like track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff, and other Group 'C' staff,” the Cabinet said.