BJP leader Vijender Gupta Wednesday suggested his party-led central government to "take over" implementation of Delhi Metro Phase-IV project, which has become the bone of contention between the Centre and the AAP government.
The suggestion from Gupta, the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, comes at a time when the BJP government at the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi are engaged in a tussle over funds for the Metro project which many anticipate can be delayed by many years.
"The central government must directly takeover responsibility to implement Delhi Metro Phase IV and Delhi-Meerut Rapid Transit System projects, in view of public interest. Any role of Delhi government in it must be done away with for its non-cooperation," Gupta said.
The AAP government said Tuesday it "assumed" that the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry would fund the project as asserted by its minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Puri on several occasions in the past, asserted that if there is no decision from the Delhi government on Metro Phase-IV, his ministry will take a final call.
"Hardeep Singh Puri ji had said that he would provide funds himself (for Metro Phase-IV), we thought they would be doing so," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said.
Gupta alleged that motivated by "narrow political considerations", Kejriwal is "bent upon derailing" Delhi Metro Phase IV and Delhi-Meerut Rapid Transit System projects.
The BJP leader said he will shortly call upon Puri in this matter.
He said the proposal for Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) between Delhi and Meerut was forwarded to the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments in December 2016.
"The Delhi government did not react to the project that aims to reduce congestion and pollution in Delhi, while UP government gave its approval in May 2017," Gupta claimed.
The impact of rising cost of these Metro projects due to the "delay in decision making" by Delhi government has to be borne by people, he alleged.
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