After the central and Delhi governments released Rs 800 crore for Phase IV of Delhi Metro, DMRC managing director Mangu Singh said construction of the much-delayed project would finally start by December.
Work will first start on the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg line, which is Phase IV’s longest corridor. Singh told, “We’ve received tenders for one package and tenders for other two packages have already been floated. Apart from this corridor, tender for one package of Tughlaqabad-Delhi Aerocity corridor has also been floated.”
The Phase IV project comprises six corridors with a combined length of nearly 104 kilometres. While Delhi government had given its approval for all six corridors in December last year, three priority corridors, comprising 61.6 kilometres, were approved by the Centre in March this year.
The funding released is for the three priority corridors — Janakpuri West-RK Ashram (28.9 km); Aerocity-Tughlaqabad (20.2 km) and Majlis Park-Maujpur (12.5 km).
Singh said that while work would start on one section of Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg corridor by December, DMRC could not float tenders for all corridors simultaneously. “Tenders can be floated only when the loan is tied up and the agreement is signed with Japan International Cooperation Agency,” the DMRC MD said. JICA has provided soft loans for construction of Delhi Metro’s previous phases.
Approval of funding agencies is often conditional on the bidding process starting only after the loan is signed. Although the process has started, we are waiting for the confirmation, Singh clarified.
The first civil tender of Delhi Metro’s Phase IV, in fact, was for 10 elevated stations, as well as the viaduct of Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg, and was floated in July. The stations are Keshopur, Paschim Vihar, Peeragarhi, Mangolpuri, West Enclave, Pushpanjali, Deepali Chowk, Madhuban Chowk, Prashant Vihar and North Pitampura.
DMRC then floated a tender for the design and construction of elevated section for connection to Mukundpur Depot and four elevated stations — Bhalswa, Majlis Park, Azadpur and Ashok Vihar.
Recently, it floated the third tender for the construction of a twin tunnel by tunnel boring machines, a tunnel box through the cut-and-cover method, an underground ramp and construction of the underground Krishna Park Extension station.
The Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg corridor is the longest in the Phase IV project, and will provide direct connectivity among west, northwest and north Delhi. The corridor, with 25 stations, will start from the Janakpuri West station, which is already an interchange station with Blue Line (Dwarka-Vaishali/Noida City Centre) and Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden).
The corridor will cross Green Line (Inderlok-City Park) once at Peeragarhi and will intersect with Pink Line twice at Majlis Park and Azadpur. It also crosses the Red (Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda-Rithala) and Yellow lines twice at Pitampura and Pul Bangash and Haiderpur Badli Mor and Azadpur, respectively before terminating at RK Ashram Marg station on the Blue Line.
With nine interchange stations, this corridor will have the highest number of such points in Phase IV.
