The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government on Tuesday said it ‘assumed’ the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will fund Delhi Metro Phase IV after Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asserted that the Ministry will take the final call on several occasions.

“Hardeep Singh Puri had said he would provide funds himself (for Metro Phase-IV), we thought they would be doing so,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.  Sisodia’s statement came after Puri alleged the Delhi Government of not giving its financial nod to the project. He also said the Centre will not disappoint the people of Delhi.

“It will be huge atrocities against Delhiites if the work of Metro Phase-IV does not begin from January 1... But, I want to assure that as we cleared other projects (of Delhi), we will not let the people of Delhi down. The work of Phase-IV will commence on time. We will find some solution,” Puri said.

Under Phase-IV Metro project, a total of 31.47 kilometres of new lines will be undergrounded while 64.39 km tracks would be elevated. Among the projects chosen under Phase-IV are Rithala-Narela (21.73km), Janakpuri West-RK Ashram (28.92km), Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54km), Inderlok-Indraprastha (12.58km), Tughlakabad-Aerocity (20.20 km), and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-Block (7.96 km).

On several occasions, Puri has asserted that if there is no decision from the Delhi Government on Metro Phase-IV, his Ministry will take a final call.

Earlier in the day, Puri while addressing a gathering at an event said the Delhi Government has not provided its financial nod to the Metro Phase-IV in the last three-four years.

However, the Union Minister assured that the Centre will not let the citizens of Delhi suffer due to non-clearance from the AAP Government. He expressed hope that the AAP dispensation will clear Phase-IV project in the next few weeks.

On Monday, the Union Minister alleged that several projects including Metro Phase-IV are stuck due to non-clearance from Delhi Government.

Infrastructure projects have become a bone of contention between the AAP dispensation and the BJP-led central Government these days. It started with inauguration of newly-constructed ITO Skywalk.

Last week, Delhi PWD Satyendar Jain alleged that no AAP Minister was invited to the inaugural ceremony of the Skywalk while Puri claimed that it was his ministry that provided funds to the project.