HC rejects PIL against Metro move to scrap station plan

New Delhi: Stressing the need to “respect opinion of experts”, the Delhi high court has declined to issue directions to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to construct an interchange station on the metro line connecting Noida to Janakpuri West, and the Airport Express Line.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also found no “arbitrariness or irrationality” in the decision taken by DMRC to forego an interchange station near Shankar Vihar as it was technically not feasible.
“It is true that some section of the population may have been benefited in case an interchange station was constructed as sought for by the petitioner. However, it is a decision taken by the respondent (DMRC) keeping in view the technical parameters. The material placed on record does not show any gross arbitrariness or irrationality in the decision taken. Accordingly, we see no ground to pass any directions in the present public interest litigation,” it said.
Sanjeev K Gulati, the petitioner, in his plea had sought a direction to constitute a committee for studying the feasibility of the interchange station at Shankar Vihar on line eight, from Botanical Garden in Noida to Janakpuri West cutting across the Airport Express Line. Gulati argued that the Airport Express Line was intended to provide a convenient entry to IGI Airport, especially for the passengers from New Delhi railway station, and DMRC has been struggling to improve ridership on the line since it took over its operation in 2013.
DMRC, in its counter affidavit, had said it never contemplated an interchange station at Shankar Vihar while constructing the Airport Express Line, since the latter is meant to serve as a high speed line. If an extra station is to come up at Shankar Vihar, the Line would have to be stopped in betweens. “Hence, the issues pertaining to the route which metro line may follow, the area which it may cover and the selection of stations are factors in which court would normally not interfere,” the bench said.