The simmering tension between the Delhi government and the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) came out in the open Saturday, with the two sides crossing swords over the proposed 82-km Delhi-Meerut rapid rail project.
Officials in the government alleged EPCA member Sunita Narain used “threatening language” against Delhi government representatives during a meeting on Friday at the EPCA office.
EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal and Narain told The Indian Express that the government was “spreading canards” as it did not have answers to its questions.
“We are a court-mandated body. A crucial project like the Delhi (Sarai Kale Khan)-Meerut RRTS has been hanging fire for two years now due to the indecisiveness of the Delhi government. The EPCA posed some tough questions to the Delhi Transport Department officials present in the meeting. Since they have no answers, they are trying to defame me. The issues between the Centre and the state cannot jeopardise such crucial projects,” Narain said.
The corridor, a project of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), promises a travel time of 55 minutes between Delhi and Meerut. She said EPCA has sought details of revenues of the government and the budget of the transport department to examine how much money alloted to the department has lapsed over the years as many projects did not take off despite making allocations.The Delhi government has a long-pending plan to redevelop the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT as a multi-modal transit hub.
“But disagreements between transport and PWD have ensured that no work has started. When the RRTS plan came, they initially stalled it saying the station will have to be underground, and now they say they cannot pay,” she said. Interestingly, one of the two Delhi government representatives present in the meeting also rejected claims that Narain “threatened to get judicial interventions”.
“The meeting was cordial as usual. I was there with the Transport Commissioner. The allegations are completely false… the EPCA is working day and night to make Delhi better,” special commissioner (transport) K K Dahiya said. Transport Commissioner Rajeev Verma could not be reached for a comment. The meeting was called at the behest of the apex court’s order to EPCA to resolve the deadlock, following Delhi government’s submission that the Centre will have to share its burden of Rs 1,168 crore of the Rs 31,000 crore project.
Narain said if there was no immediate resolution, the ADB, which has agreed to extend a secured loan of Rs 16,480 crore, will also withdraw the offer with the closing of 2018-19 financial year. The Centre and the UP government are paying around Rs 5,400 and Rs 4,608 crore respectively.
“The Delhi government had paid 50 per cent project cost of the EPE and WPE both. The principles remain the same. It should not be the case that only because the lion’s share of the project runs in UP, Delhi backs out. It will benefit the entire belt. And we must keep in mind that per day escalation cost is about Rs 5 crore,” Lal, a former senior bureaucrat, said.The EPCA maintained that the Delhi government will have to respond by Monday on the way forward, following which EPCA will make its submission in the Supreme Court.
