No ‘freebies’ for Metro anymore

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) may soon be paying commercial rates for land the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has allotted it.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) may soon be paying commercial rates for land the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has allotted it.

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With increasing commercial advancements at most metro stations across the city, the civic agency is mulling over the idea of charging commercial rates from DMRC, if land is to be used for any commercial activity.

The civic agency will table this proposal before the MCD's standing committee meeting on Thursday.

If the proposal is granted approval, then the DMRC will also have to get the building plans of malls or stores on the metro station premises approved by the civic agency.

Until now, DMRC was allotted land for metro stations at subsidised rates.

The civic agency, however, argues that the Metro corporation manages to get land mostly at throwaway prices and then makes money by leasing it out, indulging in "heavy commercial development" at its stations.

According to the civic body, there are a number of commercial projects of DMRC that are coming up without its approval. Earlier the civic agency had said it would put a stop on all commercial constructions carried out by DMRC if fails to get the building plan sanctioned by them.