Delhi Metro Phase IV: Modi-led Cabinet set to approve big infrastructure project soon.

Delhi Metro Phase IV: A long wait for the citizens of Delhi is likely to get over! The Phase IV project of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is now likely to get its approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet as well. A government official was quoted in an HT report saying that the Union Cabinet is likely to approve three out of the total six corridors of Delhi Metro Phase IV, at an estimated cost of Rs. 25,000 crore. The Phase IV project of the DMRC has six corridors which will connect the far fetched areas of the capital and will ease long journeys for regular metro passengers.

For the implementation of the Phase IV project, the Delhi government and the Central government have been in a tussle over financial issues. The Central government has assigned the task of bearing the operating losses on the state government along with repayment of the loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the report said.

In the month of December 2018, the Delhi government had given the approval for the 103.93 km network line of Phase IV, after a delay of over two years. The construction work on the line was supposed to begin from January, 2019, and expected to complete by December 31, 2024. The estimated cost of the six corridors in Phase IV is around Rs. 46,845 crore. Earlier, the Delhi government had asked the DMRC to take the project back to its board to seek re-approval as the estimated cost of the project had been changed twice. Now the final estimated cost is based upon the GST tax regime. Now after taking the cost of procurement of metro coaches and laying down tracks of certain stretches, the final cost of Rs. 46,845 crore is slightly higher than the earlier estimation.

When the Phase IV metro project gets established, a total of six new corridors, spread over 103 km will be opened for passengers. The project includes 7.96 km long Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-block section,12.58 km Inderlok-Indraprastha section, 12.54 km long Mukundpur-Maujpur section, 21.73 km long Rithala-Narela section, 20.20 km long Tughlakabad-Aerocity section and 28.92 km long Janakpuri (west)-RK Ashram section.

THE FINANCIAL EXPRESSS