Delhi Metro Phase IV project: Now that the Delhi government has decided to give its nod to all the six corridors of Delhi Metro, work on the much-delayed Phase IV project may now finally start by mid-2019. The Phase IV project, worth Rs 55,208-crore with a length of 104 km, was expected to start in the year 2016 and get completed by 2021. According to a TOI report, State transport minister Kailash Gahlot recently said that they have to make provisions for funds following which the Delhi Metro project will be sent to the cabinet for approval. Once the project is passed by the state, it is likely to get approval from the Central government by next month, he added.

However, one of the biggest worries for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) this time is that the contractors who were engaged in the Phase III project have already demobilised their men and machinery. Currently, only work related to finishing is taking place in the Phase-III corridors, which are yet to open. Once it is approved, the corporation will have to remobilise men and machinery for the Phase IV project, which would increase the expenditure. Due to the delay, the Delhi Metro declined to quantify the exact escalation in costs. A DMRC spokesperson was quoted in the report saying that at the current rate, a 3% escalation per annum could be taken into account.

The spokesperson further said that while the state government and the Central government will provide equity, the remaining amount has to be raised by Delhi Metro through loans. Once the metro project gets approval by both the governments, the next step will involve finalising the loan providing agency, he added.

The DMRC, earlier this year, tried to rope in architectural firms in order to finalise designs of metro stations and viaducts on nine sections of Phase IV project. However, due to uncertainty over which corridors would be finally approved by the Delhi government, the tenders for these contracts were not opened. The Delhi government had found three corridors of the proposed six corridors financially unviable.

Following the approvals, the metro corporation will have to carry out geotechnical surveys as well as give detailed design contracts. In order to save time, DMRC is likely to carry out surveys and float civil tenders simultaneously. The spokesperson said that it may take at least 3 to 6 months to finalise the tenders and commence work on the ground. Thus, the actual work should start by the middle of next year, provided all approvals are received by next month, he added.