New Delhi: Indicating that there were “issues of financial viability” on some routes, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that his government will soon clear the Delhi Metro’s long pending Phase IV expansion project. The CM said this in presence of Union minister of housing and urban affairs (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri, along with whom, he ceremonially flagged of the Majlis Park to Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus section of the much-awaited Pink Line, from the Metro Bhawan. The end-to-end travel time of Majlis Park-Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus stretch is 34 minutes and will cost '40.
The chief minister also raised the issue of hike in Metro fare with Mr Puri at the inauguration, with the latter saying the Centre cannot do anything about it.
“Metro is the lifeline of Delhi, and it is an important mode of transport for the city. The Delhi government will soon give clearance for the Phase-IV project. There are issues of financial viability on some of the routes,” the chief minister said. On the last fare hike, Mr Kejriwal said the Delhi government and the Centre should “sit together and find out a solution”.
The newly opened section, which has 12 stations, is part of the 59 km-long Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor (Pink Line – Line 7) of Delhi Metro’s Phase-III.
A small segment of the Pink Line in the Trilokpuri area in Wast Delhi is also awaiting clearance due to some land issues and other related matters associated with the local people.
Mr Puri had recently said that the Aam Aadmi Party government was “sitting on” the Delhi Metro’s phase IV project and the rapid raid system connecting the national Capital to Meert. “We are finding a solution. The solution is where we are not getting support from the Delhi government over the Metro projects, we have decided that we we will do it ourselves. Rail corridors, we will do on our own.
“If they (Delhi government) are not willing to approve a project or provide funding, we are finding out a solution for it,” the Urban affairs minister had said.
Last year, Mr Puri had reportedly said the delay had pushed the cost of Metro’s Phase-IV by Rs 12,000 crore, adding that, the cost of the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit project had also gone up by Rs 1,000 crore.
Incidentally, an official at the chief minister’s office had then said that the Delhi government had given in-principle approval to the Phase-IV metro project, but the files were pending with bureaucrats in the Delhi government’s finance department.
