New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday allowed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to go ahead with the construction of an elevated line between Defence Colony and Nehru Place in south Delhi that was opposed by residents abutting the corridor.

A division bench comprising Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Siddharth Mridul dismissed petitions filed against the construction of an elevated Metro corridor on this route.

Two resident welfare associations in Greater Kailash-I had filed the petition in November last year complaining that an elevated line will create noise pollution.

While allowing DMRC to go ahead with its plan, the court directed it to take all measures regarding noise pollution wherever necessary, said DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal.

“DMRC had prayed that making the section underground would involve huge capital expenditure and increase the cost by over Rs.8 billion. The area has hard rock and drilling is difficult in the area,” said Dayal.

He said the central government had cleared the corridor and given a tight deadline for completion by 2010. DMRC assured that it will take adequate noise-control measures like building noise-absorbing parapets.

The Central Secretariat-Badarpur corridor will be 20.16 km long and have 15 stations. It will be underground from Central Secretariat to Khan Market station and will switch over from underground to elevated from Lajpat Nagar.

Delhi Metro is the modern mass transit system of the Indian capital. Every day, it ferries over 600,000 passengers over a network of 65 km. Construction is on to add another 120 km to the existing network before the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010.

 

Source : IANS