UP electricity board culprit of delay Metro to Vaishali

The wait for residents of Vaishali and Indirapuram, who were hoping for a Metro ride by May 2010 after Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) recently sorted out their differences — may get longer.

Now, the UP state electricity board, is causing the delay. Responsible for removing the overhead 220KV line enroute the proposed Metro line, it is yet to take first steps. The GDA had already paid them Rs 6 crore to relocate the line.

Now, the GDA has sent a stern letter to district magistrate R Ramesh Kumar asking him to intervene in the matter. In a meeting conducted at the DM’s behest earlier, the three parties had decided that the state electricity department relocate the line at the earliest. The board is yet to begin work.

The board, though defended itself. ‘‘The work to remove the sub-station at Vaishali station has already begun. Once we achieve that, it will not take us long to transfer the line,’’ said an official. Earlier, in a meeting between Metro authorities and GDA, DMRC had raised this issue with the GDA. GDA’s letter to the DM is being seen as an offshoot of that meeting.

Meanwhile, GDA decided to release Rs 80 crore regarding the completion of the Metro link from Anand Vihar to Vaishali. ‘‘It has been decided that GDA will release the remaining Rs 80 crore for the completion of the extension line between Anand Vihar and Vaishali to DMRC at the earliest,’’ said a GDA official.

‘‘We are confident that the Metro will run in this section from May 2010,’’ said a senior GDA official. He said that another sore point — removal of an electric sub-station near the Vaishali Metro station — has also been sorted out. ‘‘The electricity board is working on replacing the sub-station,’’ added the official. The 2.67kmlong stretch is expected to cost Rs 260 crore. Out of this, Rs 130 crore was released after the MoU was signed between DMRC and GDA.