New Delhi: The Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) recently held a meeting with all stakeholders to discuss the progress of the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail project. In the meeting, environmentalist Sunita Narain has reportedly pulled up the Delhi government for delaying the project citing resource crunch.
The railway project is expected to ease traffic congestion and improve air quality.
“I will see how your government does not give money for the project, I will set you and your government right through the judiciary,” she reportedly said in the meeting. Sources say Narain spoke in a ‘threatening’ tone.
However, she has denied the allegations saying that ‘tough’ questions were raised at the meeting.
“This goes against how we do our meetings. I completely deny this,” she said.
Narain said that she sought answers from the Delhi government officials present at the meeting, asking them to share details of its annual budget allocation for transport sector. Narain maintained that the reports of threatening Delhi government are ‘deliberate strategies to embarrass’ her.
“I am only interested in clean air of Delhi and not in embarrassing Delhi government or any other government,” she said.
The officials had reportedly said that the government did not have enough resources and the central government should bear the cost of the rail project. “It was a tough meeting and we needed to know the cause of the delay,” she said, alleging that the government has put the project in limbo since December 2016. “The delay of each day is costing Rs 5 crore,” she added.
The Delhi Government had earlier filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying it does not have the resources to fund the project. Incidentally, the Delhi government has given it’s in – principle approval for the same.
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