Gahlot says Delhi Cabinet will soon approve Phase-IV project
NEW DELHI: At the flagging-off ceremony of the Shiv Vihar–Trilokpuri section of Delhi Metro's Pink Line on Wednesday, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said he has directed the Transport Commissioner to put up the file of Delhi Metro Phase-IV in the Delhi Cabinet immediately.
He hoped that at the next Cabinet meeting, the "good news" will officially be conveyed to Delhiites.
"We will open a box of sweets only when a formal announcement for the Metro Phase-IV project is made," Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said after Gahlot's assurance.
Gahlot said that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has overruled all objections made by the Finance Department regarding approval of Phase-IV.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government had said that of the six corridors under Phase-IV, only three – Rithala–Narela (21.73 km), Tughlaqabad–Aerocity (12.58 km) and Inderlok–Indraprastha (12.58 km) – were financially viable.
However, recently, Gahlot had said that the government will soon formally announce the Phase-IV.
The 104 km-long Phase-IV project was estimated to be completed by 2021, after the Delhi government gave in-principle approval in February 2016. However, the Delhi Cabinet is yet to take a final decision on it.
On Wednesday, Puri told reporters that a year ago, Kejriwal had assured him that he would approve Phase-IV soon. "At Wednesday's event also, they (Delhi government) assured approval at the earliest. At an event recently, they assured that the nod will be given soon. We will open the box of sweets only when a formal announcement is made (by the Delhi government)," he said.
The project, estimated to cost around Rs 53,000 crore, including price of coaches, was stuck due to the AAP dispensation's doubts over financial viability of some of the routes.
"Delhi government's liability in the project stands to around Rs 14,000 crore spread over seven years," an official had said earlier this week.
The delay in giving approval to the project had snowballed into a blame game between the AAP government and the BJP-led Centre.
Asked about his recent remarks that the Centre would execute the Metro Phase-IV project on its own if the Delhi government does not give its nod to the same, Puri said that he does not have any other option in case the approval was not given.
