Metro on backburner as Tricity set to get new e-buses circuit

14 Nov 2024 CW Team

To boost connectivity for the commuters of the Tricity, a new circuit-cum-network of electric buses (e-buses) is all set to come up that will cover Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali. The move comes days after Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said that in Chandigarh the ridership is not according to the criteria set for operating a Metro. He had also said that the option of a pod taxi can also be explored as it will not impact the heritage of the Union Territory (UT).Officials stated that the e-buses decision intends to provide an eco-friendly public transportation to the residents of the Tricity for travelling hassle-free and in an efficient mode. It was taken after a plan was proposed during a high-level meeting chaired by Khattar and got a go-ahead and approval.The Punjab government had proposed a cluster-based transportation proposal to the central government. They had pointed out the urgent need to have an interconnecting electric bus network so as to be able to enhance the urban transport.A senior official who attended the meeting said: “At the time of the visit of the union minister, we had briefed about the need to have a circuit that connects each of the cities in the Tricity with the electric buses”. This initiative, officials said, falls under PM E-Bus Service, a central government scheme, to boost the number of electric buses in urban areas. Once approved, people shall be able to travel through the e-buses to Panchkula, Mohali, Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Derabassi, Kharar, Kurali, New Chandigarh, and Kalka. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has already requested the Centre for 100 new e-buses to replace its diesel buses.At the moment, Chandigarh has a network of 80 electric buses. The diesel buses would gradually be phased out.

Real Estate

09 Feb 2026

Max Estates Launches Estate 361; Reports Strong Q3 FY26 Momentum

Max Estates has announced its unaudited Q3 and nine-month FY26 results, highlighting the launch of Estate 361 in Gurugram and strong momentum across residential pre-sales and commercial leasing.During the quarter, the company launched Phase 1 of Estate 361 in Sector 36A, Gurugram, with a Gross Development Value (GDV) of around Rs 25 billion. Envisioned as a forest-anchored residential community spread across 18.23 acres, the project features over 250,000 sq ft of forest greens with more than 1,000 indigenous trees and 50-plus climate-resilient species. The development also includes senior livi..

Town Planners Call for Regional, Transit-Oriented Planning Shift

The 74th National Town and Country Planners Conference concluded with a strong call for a transition towards regional, transit-oriented and technology-enabled planning to address India’s rapidly evolving urban and economic challenges. Experts emphasised the role of metropolitan and city-region planning in enabling high productivity, inclusive growth and long-term resilience, drawing parallels with global city regions such as London, Singapore and Tokyo.Participants noted that metropolitan regions can drive higher productivity growth when supported by robust institutional frameworks and long-..

REC, PFC Boards Clear In-Principle Merger Proposal

The Boards of Directors of REC and Power Finance Corporation have granted in-principle approval to proceed with a proposed merger of the two public sector non-banking financial companies. The decision aligns with the announcement made in the Union Budget 2026–27, aimed at enhancing scale and operational efficiency among public sector NBFCs.In her Budget speech, the Finance Minister outlined the vision for NBFCs under Viksit Bharat, including targets for credit disbursement and technology adoption, and stated that restructuring of PFC and REC would be a first step towards achieving scale and ..