Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has given his nod to sign a long-pending Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Delhi government, the Centre, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on the first three corridors being built under Phase-IV of the metro, an official statement issued on Monday said.
The corridors were approved in 2019 and the MoU was supposed to be signed that year only. Officials said that the MoU will be signed in the coming week.
“The Kejriwal government is also trying to seek approval for the other three Phase-IV corridors pending with the central government as soon as possible,” the statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office mentioned
It further added that the work on these three corridors will “pick pace”, and it will ensure that all “obstacles” in the construction of these corridors are removed.
Under Phase-IV, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is carrying out construction work on a 65.2-km stretch of three priority corridors encompassing 45 stations.
“The MoU was pending for many years. CM Arvind Kejriwal made personal efforts to clear the way for the MoU,” it said.
Deciphering Delhi Metro’s Phase-IV
Delhi Metro’s Phase-IV has 6 lines under two categories viz “under construction” and “under consideration”, totaling 128.81 km.
Out of this, 65.20 km across 3 lines (priority corridors) with 46 stations are under construction. The priority corridors include Janakpuri West – R. K. Ashram (29.26 km) and Majlis Park – Maujpur (12.32), both of which are extensions of the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line and Pink Line respectively. Delhi Metro’s Tughlakabad – Delhi Aerocity (23.62 km) corridor is being built as a Golden Line to connect the Violet Line and the Airport Line from their respective ends.
The three ‘under-consideration’ corridors account for a total of 42.26 km with 33 stations. These are Rithala – Bawana – Narela (21.73 km), Inderlok – Indraprastha (12.57), and Lajpat Nagar – Saket G Block (7.96). The proposed corridors are awaiting the Centre’s approval.
In July 2023, the DMRC mentioned that the proposed Rithala – Bawana – Narela corridor could be extended up to Kundli in Haryana to provide seamless connectivity to the neighbouring state.
Meanwhile, two additional corridors are also under consideration viz Aerocity – IGDT-1 and Kirti Nagar – Bamnoli Village (METROLITE)
