SC pulls up Delhi government over funds for RRTS

The RRTS project is an ambitious venture consisting of semi-high speed rail corridors that will connect Delhi to Meerut, Alwar and Panipat

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government after it claimed to have no money to pay for the construction of two Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors, with the court referring to the ambitious venture as a “development project of considerable importance”.

On Monday, the Supreme Court granted the Delhi government two weeks to furnish details of its expenditure on advertisements. (HT Photo)

The RRTS project is an ambitious venture consisting of semi-high speed rail corridors that will connect Delhi to three cities — Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Alwar in Rajasthan, and Panipat in Haryana — and is being executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture between the Centre and the concerned states. The Delhi-Meerut project is already under construction, and the Kejriwal government has agreed to pay ₹1,180 crore as part of its share of the costs. For the remaining two stretches, the Delhi government has refused to share the financial burden, citing paucity of funds.

On Monday, a bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia granted the Delhi government two weeks to furnish details of its expenditure on advertisements, and said, “If needed, we will say all the funds for advertisements be diverted here (for the project). Do you want such an order?”

The observation came after the Delhi government’s counsel, Jyoti Mendiratta, told the court that due to the paucity of funds, it was not possible for Delhi to contribute its share for the RRTS projects connecting Delhi with Alwar in Rajasthan and Panipat in Haryana.

“Since the paucity of funds seems to be an impediment for this project on behalf of NCT (National Capital Territory) of Delhi, we seek a response from the Delhi government setting forth the funds allocated for advertisements by the government of NCTD. Details shall be furnished for the last three financial years,” the bench said.

Mendiratta told the court that for the two RRTS corridors to Alwar and Panipat, the Delhi government has requested the Centre to bear its share, which is close to ₹5,000 crore. “In 2020, we communicated that we have no funds. This position worsened due to the Covid pandemic. Even the GST (goods and service tax) compensation provided by the Centre has been stopped since last year. There are no finances available,” the Delhi government’s lawyer said.

“Financial aspects we generally leave to the state government. But this is a development project of considerable importance. For a project of this nature when it is said you have no funds, we want to know how much you are spending on advertisements,” the bench remarked.

Mendiratta told the court that in the past, due to cash crunch, the court had allowed Delhi to contribute its share for Delhi-Meerut RRTS from the environment compensation charge (ECC) fund collected from polluting trucks and goods vehicles entering Delhi. The same could be utilised for the remaining project corridors, she added, to which the bench was not inclined.

In March 2019, the Delhi government had paid its first instalment of ₹265 crore for the Delhi-Meerut corridor out of the ECC fund on a concession given by the top court. In April, the court allowed the Delhi government to make a further withdrawal of ₹500 crore from the fund. However, this time around, the Centre and all concerned state governments were directed to make suitable budgetary allocations for the entire project.

The RRTS is meant to provide fast, reliable travel across the National Capital Region. As it seeks to ease the vehicular pollution load on the capital, the project is being monitored by the top court in the batch of applications filed in the MC Mehta case, where several directions have been issued from time to time to reduce air pollution in Delhi.

The Delhi-Meerut corridor is expected to become operational from 2025. The NCRTC had earlier informed the Court that the Delhi-Alwar corridor, which passes through Rewari, is awaiting sanction by the Centre, while the Delhi-Panipat corridor is awaiting the Delhi government’s nod.