NEW DELHI: Flagging that further
delay
in allowing DMRC to start
work
on Phase-IV of
Delhi Metro will push costs and result in time overrun, the
Centre
has asked the Kejriwal government to lift its embargo to take up construction work quickly.
In a letter addressed to Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev, Union urban affairs secretary D S Mishra has said, “I request for a review of the decision of the
Delhi government
to stop work of Delhi Metro Phase-IV and lift this embargo at the earliest in public interest.”
AAP
government had in April directed DMRC not to begin work on Phase-IV till the urban affairs ministry revised its approval in tune with the Delhi government’s proposal.
While approving the Phase-IV, the Delhi cabinet had imposed two conditions of 50-50 sharing of operational loss between the Delhi government and Centre and that the Delhi government will not bear any liability of default in repayment of loan given by Japanese funding agency, JICA.
Mishra in his letter has said the conditions of Delhi government are against the norms laid down in the Metro Rail Policy 2017. “Hence, there is no question of accepting the recommendations of GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi)... which has not been done for any other metro project,” Mishra said.
The Union cabinet in March had approved three of six corridors of Phase-IV approved by the AAP government, bypassing the conditions imposed by the Kejriwal government.
The three corridors approved by the Union cabinet are Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54 km), Janakpuri West-R K Ashram (28.92 km) and Tughlakabad-Aerocity (20.20 km).
AAP government had objected to it alleging that the Centre has made some “unilateral changes” in the project, without communicating any reasons.
Mishra has said Delhi Metro Phase-IV has already been delayed by more than four years for want of approval by the Delhi government.