RRTS project: SC directs Delhi Govt to release Rs 265 crore from ECC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi government to release Rs 265 crore from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) for the construction of Regional Rapid Transit System corridor between Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut.

The first phase of the project will connect Delhi with Meerut and the estimate cost of the 82.15-km corridor is Rs 31,632 crore. It is expected to reduce the travel time to 60 minutes.

A bench of justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta said the first-year share of the Delhi government in the project, which comes to Rs 265 crore, be released from ECC within a week as the corridor is aimed at decongesting roads in the national capital and there should be no delay in completing it.

The court was informed that the Centre's share for the project was Rs 5,687 crore while the share of Uttar Pradesh government and Delhi government were Rs 5,828 crore and Rs 1,138 crore, respectively.

The bench said the Delhi government would release its first-year cost of Rs 265 crore ..