NEW DELHI: In a recent development, the Supreme Court has raised concerns over the Delhi government's claim of insufficient funds hindering its contribution to the upcoming Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridors connecting the national capital with neighboring states. The court has demanded that the government provide a detailed account of its expenditure on advertisements in the past three financial years.

A bench comprising of Justices S K Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia has directed the National Capital Territory (NCT) government to submit an affidavit within two weeks, shedding light on the funds utilized for advertisements by the state government. Considering the project's significance, the court seeks comprehensive information regarding the past three financial years.

During the hearing on environment-related matters, the court was informed about the Delhi government's reluctance to allocate funds for the RRTS project. In response to the court's query, the counsel representing the NCT government cited a lack of funds and highlighted it as a cabinet decision.

Expressing its concerns, the bench inquired about the expenses incurred by the AAP government on advertisements and suggested the possibility of diverting those funds towards the projects, if necessary. Although the counsel mentioned that the shortage of funds had been communicated in 2020, the court insisted on reviewing the government's expenditure on other matters.

Emphasizing that the project itself serves as an advertisement for the government's initiatives, the bench stated that it is a development project. Consequently, it requested the government to file the affidavit, noting that they want to understand the amount spent on activities such as advertisements.

Sources indicate that the issue primarily revolves around the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut section of the RRTS. The Delhi government was supposed to contribute around Rs 1,180 crore out of the total project cost of Rs 30,274 crore. However, approximately Rs 415 crore remains to be released. A similar situation exists for the Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat segments, where the Delhi government has not yet provided any funds.

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