New Delhi: While Covid-19 has slowed the pace of the construction of three corridors of the phase-IV expansion priority Metro Delhi, unfavorable fate – Rithala-Bawana-Narela (22km), Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-Block (7.9km) and Inderlok-Indraprastha (12.6km) – seems uncertain.
Even before the construction work of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which many pending phase-IV projects can collect steps, the pandemic stops it.
The second wave and developing scenario tend to make it lose the target of settlement of 2025 too.
While working in all three corridors – Janakpuri West-RK Ashram (28.9km), Aerocity-Tuxlaqabad (20.2 km) and Maujpur-Majlis Park (12.5km) – Ongoing, Maujpur-Majlis Park Corridor, Extended Extended Pink Line will be finished first.
Rithala-carry-narella corridor, the extension of the red line, is the longest awaiting approval.
While the DMRC plans to build the first modal metrolite corridor on this route, the other two will have a conventional high-capacity corridor.
The Delhi government has given its final approval to all six corridors proposed in December 2018.
But the center only approved three priority corridors in February 2019.
The proposal was then tweaked to include an affordable metrolytic corridor on the route and Rithala-Narella funding pattern also changed.
The revised proposal was sent to the Delhi government for approval.
Transportation Minister Kailash Gahlot told TI that the Delhi government had agreed to the six corridors, but a proposal was sent back with changes, including alignment.
“The proposal is being checked and will be placed in front of the cabinet as early as possible,” added the Gahlot.
The Rithala-Narella corridor is not expected to witness severe passenger traffic, which is why the metrolytic corridor is found more decent there.
Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-Block Corridor, the shortest corridor in the phase-IV project, will function as a link between the existing Magenta (garden-Janakpuri-Janakpuri Barat) and the pink line and the upcoming Aerocity Tuxlaqabad corridor.
The Inderlok-Indraprastha corridor will be directly connected north with Central Delhi.