On Tuesday, November 21, the Supreme Court again gave orders to the Delhi Government for failing to abide by its pledge to allocate money for the Regional Rapid Rail Transit System Project.
The Delhi Government’s stance dissatisfied the Court, which issued an order transferring the government’s advertisement funds for the project.The Court however set a one-week deadline for the Government to voluntarily transfer the project’s funds, after which the order would take effect.
(Image source : Google photo)
Time period given by SC to clear dues
The Delhi government was given two months by the Supreme Court in July to pay the outstanding balance for the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System.
“There is a gross breach done by the Delhi Government with the promises” noted the Judges Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia’s bench.
On Tuesday, the Delhi government was given an order by the Supreme Court to pay its portion of ₹415 crore towards the RRTS project by November 28. The court issued a strong reminder, ordering the AAP government to transfer the money to the authorities by the deadline or face having it taken out of their budget for advertisements this year.
Today, the AAP government announced that funds would be allotted for the RRTS project. The court declared that the order would be suspended for a week.
(Image source : India Today)
Order will take effect if they fail to pay
Citing its April order, the court made clear that the Delhi government had disregarded its orders to make the remaining payment on time.
“The money is spent on the advertisements. This is affecting the national projects. Thus we are bound to ask for the money back. The money should be surely given back to the infrastructure,”the judge stated. The Delhi government was also asked by the court to refrain from vacillating on the issue.
For the Delhi Government, Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora asked for a week’s notice. According to Justice Kaul, the case will be listed in a week, and the order will take effect if the funds are not allocated in the interim.
Why hasn’t the Delhi government followed the court’s directive? We will continue to support your advertising budget (Delhi government). The court declared, “We will attach it and bring it here.
“Therefore, our only choice is to order the project in question to receive the funds intended for advertising. We will pause this order for a week, per the request of the learned counsel. The order will be implemented if the money is not transferred,” it said.
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) filed an application pointing out the Delhi Government’s breach of undertaking, and the Court granted the order.
SC’s order from July
The Delhi government informed the court in July that the Central government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, had terminated the goods and service tax compensation scheme in June 2022, leaving it short on funds.
“The state government’s financial resources have been severely impacted by the abrupt cessation of GST compensation.” The amount of money that is now available has significantly decreased as a result,” the AAP government had stated.
Nonetheless, the government spent ₹1100 crore on advertisements over the previous three fiscal years, the court noted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the RRTS corridor’s priority section last month.
