NEW DELHI: The AAP-led Delhi government on Monday faced Supreme Court’s wrath after it expressed its inability to contribute funds to the construction of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project. The RRTS stretch would connect the national capital with Rajasthan and Haryana.
Slamming the state government, a bench of Justices SK Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia directed it to furnish details of the funds spent by it on advertisements in the last three financial years. “Let us check what funds you have been spending. We will say that all funds you have been spending. We will say that all funds for advertisement will be diverted. Do you want this kind of order? You are asking for it,” the bench said.
Asking the govt to file the affidavit within two weeks, the bench said, “The Delhi government has expressed its inability to contribute funds for a common project. Since the paucity of funds is an impediment in this project, we call upon the NCT of Delhi to file an affidavit setting forth the funds utilised for advertisement as the project is of national importance.
Details may be furnished for the last financial years.” The remarks were made by the bench while considering a batch of cases relating to environmental issues and on being informed that the state was not ready to allocate funds for the RRTS project, particularly because of the Delhi-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat corridors.
While the counsel for the Delhi govt submitted that the contribution was upwards of Rs 5000 crore, the bench said, “Is it required in one go? Let us see how much you spend on other things. This is a development project. Though financial aspects we leave to the state for a project of this nature when you say no funds, we want to know how much you have spent on something like an advertisement. Making a project is also an AD that you are doing something.”
In its March 2019 order, SC noted that the Centre’s contribution for the project is Rs 5,687 crore, that of UP Rs 5,828 crore and the NCR of Delhi Rs 1,138 crore. It had directed the Delhi government to contribute Rs 265 crore, which included tax liability from the ECC fund within 10 days.
It had said the tax component was refundable and shall on refund be credited to the ECC fund.
Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Rajya Sabha in February that the Delhi government has not agreed to provide financial support for the Delhi-Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror and Delhi-Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System corridors.