India, Dec. 31 -- In a city where the number of registered vehicles (14 lakh) is more than its population (12 lakh), the Chandigarh Metro was envisioned as a mass rapid transit solution to the everydaygridlocks. First proposed in 2009, a detailed project report (DPR) was prepared in 2012 and the first phase was to begin in 2013. But 16 years on, the project is still chugging along the planning stage. Why it matters: If materialised, the Metro could offer a faster, cleaner and cost-efficient commuting option to those whocriss-cross the tricity area everyday while battling huge traffic jams. As per estimates, over two lakh interstate vehicles pass through Chandigarh on a daily basis.Challenges: In 2014, then Member of Parliament Kirron Kher opposed the proposal, arguing that Metro construction would uproot the city. Ultimately, the project was rejected by the Union home ministry in 2017. Though revived in 2021 with a fresh comprehensive mobility plan by the Rail India Technical andEconomic Services (RITES), cost concerns, now estimated at Rs.25,000-30,000 crore, along with ridership-based viability questions continue to haunt the project. Where it stands: In November last year, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria constituted a committee to examine the economic and financial feasibility of the Metro project. The panel was also tasked with reviewing Comptroller and Auditor General reports on other Metro systems. The committee has held threemeetings so far, and RITES has submitted its reports, but these remain pending with the administration without anydecision....