Will reduce Delhi Metro fare by 25-30% if given charge of DMRC: AAP

Delhi’s deputy CM Manish Sisoida’s statement came as a war of words erupted between AAP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in the Delhi Assembly on Thursday over apparent delay in approving Metro’s Phase-4.

On the first day of the special session of the Delhi Assembly, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government could reduce Metro fares by 25-30% if it is given full control over Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot at a press conference to announce the approval to Delhi Metro Phase-IV project. (HT Photo)

Sisoida’s statement came as a war of words erupted between AAP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in the Assembly on Thursday over apparent delay in approving Metro’s Phase-4. The deputy CM said cost of the project came down by nearly ₹11,000 crore due efforts by the Delhi government.

Phase-4 of the Delhi Metro was approved by the Delhi government on Wednesday after being stuck for over two years. The project is the last mega expansion plan of the Metro in the national capital. Under it, six new corridors spread over 103 km will be added to Delhi’s Metro network over the next six years.

The deputy CM said Delhi government cleared all the corridors in the project “despite being repeatedly misled by BJP-appointed bureaucrats”. Transfers and postings of officers in the Delhi government are done by the Centre’s ministry of home affairs through the lieutenantgovernor.

The three lines which were termed “financially unviable” by the finance department were Inderlok-Indraprastha, Aerocity-Tughlakabad and Rithala-Narela.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta said the AAP government had been using the objections of officers to cover its own politics. “Officers did not raise objections on Metro corridors on their own. They were directed by the CM and deputy CM to do so. It was the deputy CM who had asked the finance department to do a feasibility study on Metro’s Phase-4,” he said.

BJP legislator from Rajouri Garden Manjinder Singh Sirsa said during the pendency of approval, Phase-4’s cost escalated by several hundred crore rupees. “As a result, the public will now have to bear this additional cost. Moreover, the delay deprived Delhiites of Metro benefits by three years,” he said.

Sisodia said the initial cost for the project, which was estimated at ₹57,000 crore, was brought down to ₹46,000 crore after the government fixed “fictitious” calculations. Transport minister Kailash Gahlot blamed the Centre and DMRC for the delay. “The goods and services tax (GST) was introduced by the Centre that led to recalculations of the estimates,” Gahlot told the House.