State rejects all 3 DPRs on Dwarka-IFFCO Metro link

GURGAON: The Haryana government has rejected all three detailed project reports (DPRs) submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on the Metro line between Dwarka and IFFCO Chowk, on the grounds that none of them are financially viable and cater to very low ridership.
In a meeting held few days ago, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar asked DMRC to submit a new DPR within next two months.
"The DMRC had suggested three routes and the alignments are broadly the same. While the first proposal was to extend the Airport Line to IFFCO Chowk, the second was to extend the Dwarka Sector 21 line. The third proposal was based on public-private partnership (PPP) model where a private operator would provide independent rolling stock, acquire land and build a new line close to IFFCO Chowk," said Raghavendra Rao, additional chief secretary, Haryana.
The proposed length of the route is approximately 12 km with estimated daily ridership of 21,000 people. Total cost of the project is estimated to be over Rs 2,000 crore (including escalation, central and state taxes). All three DPRs mention that there will be a standard gauge corridor. The existing train maintenance depot at Dwarka Sector 21 will cater to the maintenance needs of the rolling stock.
"The chief minister, however, felt that financial viability and ridership were both very low and wanted DMRC to explore other alignments. The cost of constructing an underground route is nearly Rs 450 crore per kilometer and we feel this is very high," Rao added.