NEW DELHI: The Delhi government formally decided to give its nod to the fourth phase of the Delhi Metro on Monday.
According to sources, a note has been sent by the transport department to put the project before the Delhi cabinet for approval. The matter has been a sticking point in the relationship between the Aam Aadmi Party government and the Centre.
Experts state that looking at the 2019 elections approaching, both sides did not want to get on the wrong side of the people of Delhi, who heavily rely on means of public transport such as the metro.
With around Rs 53,000 crore riding on it, the project has been stuck since 2015, which is when it came for approval to the Delhi government.
Disagreeing with a few corridors in the phase four proposal, the Delhi government had been stating that there would be a financial loss in the project as it would be less feasible as per the usage of the metro.
Without the approval, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had to hit the brakes on planning for the project, which is also funded by the Union Ministry of Urban Development.
Hardeep Singh Puri, the MoS, and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who have been at loggerheads even on social media, seem to be finding a middle ground.