The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi government to provide Rs 415 crore for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project within two months. The court warned that if the dues were not paid within a week, funds allocated for advertisements by the AAP government will be transferred to the project.
The RRTS project involves semi-high speed rail corridors connecting Delhi to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Alwar in Rajasthan, and Panipat in Haryana. The court emphasized the importance of budgetary provision for such national projects and expressed willingness to direct the transfer of funds allocated for advertisements if necessary.
Additionally, the court noted that on July 24, the Delhi government had assured payment towards the project, but those assurances were not fulfilled, leading to the court’s directive.
The court also expressed displeasure at the Delhi government’s failure to comply with the July assurance and lack of effort to seek an extension for making the payment for the project. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is overseeing the project, which is a joint venture between the Centre and the states involved.
The Delhi-Meerut project is already under construction, with the Arvind Kejriwal government agreeing to pay its share of the costs. However, the Delhi government has refused to share the financial burden for the remaining two stretches, which led to the court directing the contribution of Rs 500 crore from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) for the RRTS corridor between Delhi and Meerut.
The estimated cost of the corridor is Rs 31,632 crore, with the Delhi government previously stating its inability to provide financial support for certain RRTS corridors. The court has kept the order in abeyance for one week, giving the Delhi government time to fulfill its payment obligations before the order is implemented.
