To decongest Shimla's vehicular traffic, the Himachal Pradesh government has come up with an ambitious monorail project proposal for the hill station.
Himachal's Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma in this connection along with state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh met Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath over the weekend.
"Kamal Nath has asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to carry out a survey and prepare a feasibility report in six months," Sharma said here Sunday.
"The Shimla monorail project will cost Rs 5,000 crore and could be funded entirely by the Centre. It will connect downtown Shimla to the suburbs and reduce congestion and help maintain the green cover," Sharma said.
If approved, this will be the first monorail project in the hill state. Shimla being a round the year tourist destination and the steep terrain, narrow roads offer very little space for parking as a result of which traffic snarls are frequent.
The state government was also proposing to have monorail projects in other popular tourist destinations of Manali and Dharamsala.
