SC pulls up Delhi govt for not starting Delhi-Meerut rapid rail on time

The SC criticised the Delhi government for having funds for advertising the project but not ensuring smooth transport

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The Supreme Court (SC) criticised the Delhi government for not starting the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) project on time after the Delhi government claimed it did not have sufficient funds for the project.

The SC, led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, questioned why the government had money for advertisements but not for a project that would make transportation smoother.

According to a report by Bar and Bench, it asked, "If you have money for advertisements, why can't you allocate funds for a project that ensures smooth transport?"

SC has now ordered the Delhi government to provide a detailed report of its expenses on advertisements for the RRTS over the past three financial years.

The Delhi-Meerut RRTS is a semi-high-speed regional rail service RAPIDX that will significantly bring down the travel time between Delhi and Meerut.

In 2019-20, the Centre had allocated Rs 824 crore for the country's first RRTS. These three lines had received priority including Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS. The other two were Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat.

A 17-km-long priority stretch of RAPIDX was recently completed and is expected to begin operations this month. The portion will have five stations: Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot.

To meet the deadline of completing the line by 2027, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had approved the allotment of 297 sqm of land at Jangpura for the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor project, on July 1 as it was critical for the implementation of the RRTS and had been "pending for the last two years."