Metro Phase-IV receives Delhi Govt green signal
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi government on Wednesday announced the approval of the much-awaited Phase-IV of Delhi Metro. The approval was given at a cabinet meeting chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The entire Phase-IV metro line, including as many as six new corridors, will hugely improve connectivity across the national capital. According to reports, the coming metro phase will have 79 new stations spread over 104 km. The fourth phase of Delhi Metro is expected to be completed by 2024.
Speaking about the development, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the Phase-IV metro line will boost public transport in Delhi. "The cabinet has approved Phase-IV of the Delhi Metro. It will boost public transport in Delhi," he announced.
Sisodia also said that the government will give its share of Rs 9,707 crore towards construction work under the project, which is estimated to cost around Rs 45,000 crore.
The six corridors which are to be constructed under the Phase-IV of the Delhi Metro are Rithala-Narela (21.73km), Janakpuri West-R K Ashram (28.92km), Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54km), Inderlok-Indraprastha (12.58km), Tughlakabad-Aerocity (20.20 km), and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-Block (7.96 km).
The estimated cost of the fourth phase Metro construction has been changed twice. Initially, the projected cost was reduced from Rs 55,208 crore to 45,603 crore. Again, the amount was revised to around Rs 46,800 crore.
According to media reports, last month the cost of the Phase IV project was further reduced by Rs 10,000 crore by taking taxes as per GST into account.
The cabinet also approved construction of elevated road corridors. It is proposed that these elevated road corridors will run below the elevated metro corridor to provide better traffic flow since wherever elevated Metro corridors have been constructed it has been experienced that construction of roads below is impossible later on. These corridors will be constructed by the DMRC but the Delhi government will bear the whole cost.
