The apex court observed that big developmental projects like the Metro Rail would cater to billions of people and reduce carbon emissions as the number of vehicles on the roads will be reduced.

New Delhi: In a significant development that cleared the way for the execution of Delhi Metro's Phase-IV project, the Supreme Court refused to halt the construction, observing any interference in that direction would result in a huge escalation of costs.

The bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath was hearing a petition contending that the economic viability of the underground metro is far superior to the elevated metro. The plea filed by Dr P C Prasad and Aditya N Prasad also stated that felling over 11,000 trees for the project would have an adverse effect on the ambient air quality of the national capital where pollution is at "critical" levels.

However, the apex court observed that big developmental projects like the Metro Rail would cater to billions of people and reduce carbon emissions as the number of vehicles on the roads will be reduced, adding that concern for the environment is also important. The court also noted that there was a provision for planting uprooted trees.

The phase-IV of Delhi Metro will consist of six corridors -- Aerocity to Tughlakabad, Inderlok to Indraprastha, Lajpat Nagar to Saket G Block, Mukundpur to Maujpur, Janakpuri West to R K Ashram, and Rithala to Bawana and Narela.

The petition claimed that the phase-IV expansion is being done on "deemed forest land" for which no forest clearance has been obtained.

"The Central Empowered Committee in its Report without any substantiation has accepted the submission of the DMRC that construction of an underground metro would pose a threat to the already existing flyovers and other structures. The CEC has also accepted the submission of the DMRC that the long term maintenance cost of the underground metro is higher," it claimed.

The court asked Delhi Metro to be careful in future while planning further phases.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is planning a mega expansion through the Phase IV project, which will have as many as 11 new interchange stations, which will improve the Metro connectivity to the extended areas in the National Capital Region.

Last month, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) approved an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore for the Phase-IV project, with Rs 350 crore provisioned in the budget estimate 2023-24.

Though the deadline for Phase 4 is Dember 2024, it is expected to take two more years to complete the project.