In its endeavour to ensure feasible mode of transport to people of Jammu & Kashmir besides taking Union Territory far ahead on the path of development and progress, at par with other developed states and UTs, the much awaited metro rail project for the Union Territory is on anvil and likely to be approved within a month. Although the announcements regarding the same were made earlier by the Lt Governor but the proposal got halted due to some official formalities which now have been completed fully. As per sources, the prestigious project namely J&K MetroLite project, costing about Rs 10,599 crore has been submitted by the UT administration to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and after all formalities, is supposed to get final approval of the Union Cabinet in the month of March 2022. As per the MoHUA sources, the approval to the project is a mere formality as the Union Minister for MoHUA Hardeep Singh Puri, during his recent visit to J&K, has already announced regarding the same and all requisite formalities have been completed by the UT administration. Now, as the present dispensation always accords a prioritized treatment to the Union Territory, the much awaited project is likely to be approved by the Cabinet anytime in the month of March, before the expected visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is likely to visit J&K for launch of industrial investments. Sharing further details, it was informed that the MetroLite project, to be started simultaneously for both Jammu and Srinagar regions, will be completed by March 2026. While the Jammu MetroLite will be 23 Km long with approximate 22 stations from Bantalab to Bari Brahmana, the Valley MetroLite, 25 Km long, will consist of two corridors, one from Hazuri Bagh to Osmanabad while other from Indira Nagar to HMT junction, with 12 stations on each line. Further, in the first instance the MetroLite will be operational in Jammu for 17 hours in Jammu and only 14 hours in Srinagar, and will consist of several elevated corridors in place of underground tunnels. This much awaited project of Government will not only ensure quick and easy transport facilities for the commuters but will also help a lot in de-congestion of traffic on the roads of J&K, which is increasing rapidly with every passing hour.