The Supreme Court strongly criticised the Delhi government for failing to fulfil its commitment to provide funds for the Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) project. The court directed the government to redirect the funds designated for advertising towards the RRTS project due to the breach of undertaking.
Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia, while addressing an application by NCRTC over the government’s non-compliance with the court’s order to release funds for the project, cautioned the Delhi AAP government. They warned of seizing its advertising budget if the required funds weren’t allocated promptly.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the Delhi government’s stance, the apex court noted a significant violation of the promises made by the government. The court reminded that in April, it specifically instructed the Delhi government to promptly pay the outstanding amount necessary for the timely execution of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, the Delhi-Alwar corridor, and the Delhi-Panipat corridor.
During the proceedings, the bench highlighted that the budgetary allocation for advertisements over the past three years totalled nearly Rs 1,100 crore, with an allocation of Rs 550 crore for the current financial year.
“The state government has grossly breached the court’s directions and assurances. Despite our specific instructions in April, the outstanding amount remains unpaid. The budgetary provision for three years was almost Rs 1,100 crore, with Rs 550 crore allocated for this financial year.
If national projects are impacted due to such negligence while funds are being expended on advertisements, we would consider redirecting those funds to infrastructure,” the bench remarked. Representing the Delhi government, senior advocate Meenakshi Arora requested a week’s time, and the bench agreed to revisit the matter after a week.
However, they emphasised that if the fund allocation wasn’t made by then, the court’s order would take effect. “We are compelled to direct the funds designated for advertising to be transferred to the project concerned. Granting the counsel’s request, we will suspend this order for one week. Should the funds not be transferred, the order will be enforced,” ruled the bench.
In its application, the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) highlighted that despite the apex court’s directive for the Delhi government to contribute Rs 500 crore to the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Project within ten days, a balance of Rs 415 crore remains unpaid. The government has released only Rs 80 crore, despite a delay of over six months since the court’s order on April 21, 2023, indicating a blatant disregard for the court’s directive.
WHAT IS RRTS?
The Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System, referred to as Delhi–Meerut RRTS, stands as an 82.15 km (51.05 mi) rapid rail corridor project connecting Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut, currently in the construction phase. Part of Phase I in the RapidX initiative managed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), this project, boasting a maximum speed of 180 km/h (110 mph), aims to reduce travel time between Delhi and Meerut to less than 60 minutes. The project is budgeted at Rs 30,274 crore (US$3.8 billion) and will feature 22 stations along with depots situated at Duhai and Modipuram. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the project’s foundation stone in March 2019.
