About 50 per cent of civil work on all the three priority corridors of phase 4 of Delhi Metro—Majlis Park–Maujpur, Aerocity–Tughlakabad (golden line) and Janakpuri West–RK Ashram Marg (magenta line) have been completed, officials said. “At present, over 50 per cent progress has already been achieved on all three corridors. On the Majlis Park–Maujpur section, about 80 per cent of civil work has already been completed. Tunnelling work is in progress on various stretches on the Aerocity–Tughlakabad (golden line) and the Janakpuri West–RK Ashram Marg (magenta line) corridors,” said Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director, Corporate Communications, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Officials said the phase 4 section from Janakpuri West to Krishna Park Extension is now almost complete and is likely to be opened by August 2024. The Majlis Park–Maujpur corridor is also likely to be opened in the next year. Dayal added that the DMRC was progressing rapidly with its phase 4 expansion work with the target of opening all three priority corridors comprising 65 km of new lines by 2026. “Though work on the fourth phase of expansion started in December 2019, immediately after the finalisation of tenders, but the progress of work was significantly affected from 2020 to 2022, for almost three years, due to the Covid pandemic and delays in tree-cutting permissions,” said an official. Delhi Metro has been working continuously for the last two years to complete the entire work by 2026, officials said. The project is being monitored at various levels on a daily basis. Site visits are taken up at the highest level to expedite the work. Tree-cutting permissions are being pursued at appropriate levels. The rest of the sections of the priority corridors are expected to be opened in a phased manner by 2026. Certain permissions for tree-cutting and the acquisition of land pockets at isolated locations are pending, said officials. Two more corridors under phase 4, Inderlok–Indraprastha and Saket G Block–Lajpat Nagar, have received approval recently. “DMRC at present is processing for statutory clearances including land acquisition from the authorities. Forest clearances and tree-cutting permissions are also being taken up at the appropriate levels. Further processes regarding the planning and tendering for civil works are in progress,” said an official.
