The Delhi government faced severe criticism from the Supreme Court on Tuesday for the delay in paying its share of funds for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The court demanded that the government pay around Rs 500 crore for the semi-high speed rail corridor linking Meerut, Alwar, and Panipat. Justices SK Kaul and S Dhulia of the top court bench expressed their frustration, stating that the government should not have to be coerced into fulfilling its financial obligations. They warned that they would not repeat their instructions and ordered the government to pay what it owed.
The Delhi government claimed that it had already released Rs 415 crore last week and insisted that all dues had been cleared. However, the court insisted on complete compliance and scheduled another hearing for Saturday. These stern comments were made after the government was given a week to provide its share of funds. If the directed amount of Rs 415 crore was not made available, the court threatened to transfer funds from the Aam Aadmi Party’s advertising budget, which was used to promote its achievements to voters.
During the hearing, Justice Kaul emphasized that the government had failed to comply with the court’s order and demanded evidence of compliance. The court dismissed questions about payment for other projects and focused solely on whether their order had been followed.
Earlier, the Delhi government had claimed that it was unable to contribute the required funds. In response, the court requested a record of the ruling AAP’s advertising expenses over the past three years, noting that the government had spent over Rs 1,000 crore on ads during that period. The court had instructed the government to provide Rs 415 crore within two months.
The RRTS project, costing nearly Rs 32,000 crore, aims to create an 82-km semi-high speed rail corridor connecting Delhi to Alwar, Panipat, and Meerut. The project is managed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation, a joint venture between the central and state governments.
With input from agencies, NDTV reported this story.
