Elevated Metro likely in S Delhi
The underground project cannot meet the deadline of 2010, when the city hosts the Commonwealth Games, reports Chetan Chauhan.
The Posh south Delhi’s demand for an underground Metro rail link instead of an elevated one is unlikely to be met. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has opposed the idea, saying apart from resulting in a steep rise in costs, it will need a policy decision by the central government.
Also, the underground project cannot meet the deadline of 2010, when the city hosts the Commonwealth Games, the corporation has told the empowered group of ministers, which is examining the issue alongside other Metro-related complexities.
The ministers’ panel is expected to settle the issue, widely covered by the Hindustan Times, on December 12.
The DMRC said if the Metro has to be underground, the Centre would have to take a major policy decision, stating that all Metro lines in India passing through residential areas should be constructed underground and that even flyovers should not be built in such areas.
The Urban Development Ministry’s opinion is similar. The objective of completing the project before 2010 will be defeated, it told the panel last month.
The ministry said that meeting the demand would set a wrong precedent — other areas in Delhi may also like to seek similar intervention. “In such a situation, it would not be possible to discriminate between the affluent, resourceful and the under privileged section of society,” the ministry said.
The Kailash Colony Women’s Association had sought government intervention to ensure that the proposed four-km Metro stretch between Jungpura Extension and Nehru Place is constructed underground. The association said that an elevated corridor would disturb the environment of Kailash Colony and Greater Kailash-I areas and invade privacy of the people living in the areas.
