Phase-III of Delhi Metro will not suffer delay: Official

Delhi Metro will start opening Lines under the Phase-III, which would add another 140 km of the capital to the Metro network, from September, 2015 to March, 2016 in phases and there would be no delay in this regard.

Jitendra Tyagi, Director (Works), Delhi Metro, admitted there were hurdles in the construction of the Phase-III network in the form of permission from the NMA in the Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate corridor and acquisition of land for depot in Vinod Nagar which falls under the category of forest.

"Initially, the progress is always slow. Once the civil contract is awarded, half the job is done....We are confident of meeting the target," he told reporters.

He said construction on some lines are delayed but there will be no change in the schedule.

Tyagi said 12 per cent of the work on Phase-III has been completed and all civil contracts have been awarded.

Two corridors of the Phase-III -- Central Secretariat to Mandi House and Jehangirpuri to Bali -- would be opened to public in 2014, ahead of the schedule. The Central Secretariat -Mandi House stretch would reduce burden on the busy Rajiv Chowk station, he said.

Tyagi also listed the number of initiatives being taken by the Delhi Metro to sensitise workers at the site about safety and etiquettes.

Street plays by artistes and booklets explaining the do's and dont's at the construction sites are some of the safety measures that are being taken up, he said.

300 such plays would be organised across all construction sites of the Delhi Metro till 2016 and three specialised agencies have been hired by DMRC to perform these plays.

Tyagi said the Phase-III would be more useful for people as 9 to 10 interchange stations would be added to the network after its completion in 2016.