Lucknow, Feb. 25 -- The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has stated that no immediate alterations can be made to the proposed East-West Corridor, a release by the UPMRC on Tuesday, read. The statement follows a request from the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to extend the line by approximately 3 km. LDA had formally written to Lucknow Metro authorities requesting that the East-West Corridor be extended up to Rashtra Prerna Sthal. The Authority has said that extending the Metro line to the site would improve connectivity and enable residents and visitors to reach the location more conveniently without depending on private vehicles or intermediate modes of transport. However, Metro authorities have indicated that the current alignment and project planning are at an advanced stage, and any change at this point would require comprehensive re-evaluation. Officials maintained that while proposals for expansion can be considered, they must follow due process and financial scrutiny before any decision is taken. Reacting to the LDA proposal, Sushil Kumar, managing director, UPMRC, said, "It's a good proposal to extend it to Prerna Sthal but will be very hard to carry out in this phase. The proposal has just been made but let the DPR be presented, then things will be clearer." According to senior Metro officials, any proposal to extend the corridor will require the entire statutory and technical process to begin afresh. This will start with the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR), including feasibility studies, technical assessments, alignment planning, cost estimation, and ridership projections. Once prepared, the DPR will need to be submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval. Thereafter, it would have to pass through other mandatory stages, including financial appraisal and clearances from competent authorities at various levels. After that the file would be sent to the Centre. Officials emphasised that such an extension will also significantly increase the overall project cost, as additional civil construction, land acquisition (if required), signalling systems, station development, and related infrastructure will need to be incorporated. Funding arrangements will also have to be revisited in the light of the expanded scope. On Friday (Feb 20) the department of economic affairs under the Union ministry of finance granted in-principle approval for external borrowing of Rs.2,883.93 crore for the East-West Corridor of the Lucknow Metro. The approval allows the UPMRC to raise funds from the New Development Bank (NDB), a multilateral financial institution set up by Brics nations. The loan will be backed by a sovereign guarantee from the Central government. The total estimated cost of the East-West Corridor project is Rs.5,801.05 crore, the release read....