Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has written to Defence Minister AK Antony complaining of rising instances of unilateral intervention by the Urban Development (UD) Ministry in key matters related to Delhi Metro. Dikshit has told Antony, who is chairman of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on matters related to Delhi Metro, that such actions of the Ministry of Urban Development may sometime go against the interest of DMRC and Government of NCT Delhi and has the potential of adversely affecting the overall functioning of DMRC.
In a strongly-worded letter to Antony, Dikshit listed several instances where the UD Ministry had taken key decisions without keeping the state government, which is an equal partner, in the loop. Sources said Dikshit has complained in her letter that on the issue related to the stoppage of services on the Airport metro line and the related dispute between DMRC and the private concessionaire, an inquiry was ordered by the Urban Development Ministry without making any reference to it.
She said that after the inquiry report was finalised, it was sent to the Central Vigilance Commission, again without taking the State Government into confidence. Dikshit added consequently a sub-committee was formed by DMRC board to consider this inquiry report. The Delhi CM said while initially the sub-committee had two members each from the State and the Central Government, subsequently more members were co-opted and the number of Central Government members in the sub-committee increased. This was done without the consent of her Government, Dikshit said.
Dikshit also said a major tender for supplying of Metro coaches was finalised by the DMRC board, which was challenged by two bidders in the High Court. She said the High Court held the DMRC’s tender process as fair. She said that despite this, the
UD Ministry went ahead with an inquiry committee without taking consent of Delhi Government. Sources said that in her letter, Dikshit also complained that on the question of termination payment to the concessionaire of Airport line, the UD Ministry began the process to take the matter to the Central Government without taking her Government into confidence. She said it was when the Cabinet Secretariat returned the proposal for wider consultation that Delhi Government got the opportunity to send its comments.
Citing yet another instance where she felt the Central Government had acted unilaterally, Dikshit said instructions regarding the appointment of CVO to DMRC were issued by the Central Government without consulting the State Government. In her letter, Dikshit said decisions related to Delhi Metro should be taken by the UD Ministry only after consultation with it since it was an equal partner.