NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The Phase 4 Corridors of the Delhi Metro Rail project are suffering from a delay due to the lack of permission for felling and relocating trees located along the alignment, causing a cost increase of 15% and a delay of up to 30 months in certain sections. This has resulted in an additional expenditure of Rs 1,568.8 crore to the estimated cost of Rs 10,479.6 crore, thus bringing the total cost to Rs 12,048.5 crore for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
Three of the six corridors proposed under Phase 4 of the Delhi Metro Rail Project Aerocity to Tughlaqabad, Mukundpur to Maujpur and Janakpuri West to RK Anam – were classified as priority corridors and were approved by the Central Government cabinet in March 2019.
Most of the civil contracts for these corridors have been awarded to the selected bidders. However, the construction has been delayed due to the Department of Environment and Forest of the Delhi Government taking an “unjustifiably and inordinately long time” to grant permission to fell or translocate nearly 2,500 trees.
 Despite the delays causing a 15% cost overrun, the retendering of the work on these corridors might further increase the cost that will have to be borne by the Delhi Metro, according to an official. Additionally, files seeking approval from the Environment and Forest Department to fell and translocate trees have been pending for 30 months.
As reported by sources, the Sonia Vihar to Yamuna Bridge stretch of the Maujpur to Majlis Park (Mukundourt) corridor has been delayed by almost 29 months, while the Yamuna Vihar to Bhajanpura and Sonia Vihar to Khajuri Khas stretches are running late by over 15 months. Similarly, the sources added that the Sangam Vihar to Saket G stretch of the Tughlaqabad-Aerocity corridor is delayed by 30 months.
