Dikshit takes dig at DMRC, R-Infra; says safety of Metro paramount

New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today took a dig at both DMRC and Reliance Infrastructure for passing the buck on each other over suspension of services on Airport Metro line and said there should not be any compromise on safety parameters on the 23-km high-speed corridor. “There is passing of buck currently by both sides. Metro is a pride of Delhi and we hope the difficulties will be sorted out soon,” she said. Noting that safety parameters should be given highest priority, Dikshit said there should not be any compromise on issues relating to safety of passengers. “Safety and smooth train running are the most important issue. There should not be any compromise on safety parameters,” the Delhi chief minister said. [caption id=“attachment_379295” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Delhi Metro. AFP[/caption] Services on the Airport Metro Express line were suspended from 8 July after some faults on the civil structure was detected on the corridor. While Delhi Metro has built the civil structure on the line, Reliance Infra is responsible for operations and maintenance. Dikshit said an independent committee has been set up to examine the entire issue. The committee comprises A K Gupta, Additional Member (Works) in Railway Board and D Deeptivilas, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development. She said the committee would soon submit its report to the Urban Development Ministry based on which appropriate action would be taken. DMRC is a joint venture of Delhi Government and Urban Development Ministry. “As both the sides are passing the buck on each other, it has been decided to set up an independent committee for a third party inspection,” she said. The Chief Minister said she has taken up the issue with DMRC chief Mangu Singh and asked him to look into the safety issues carefully. “I have issued instructions to DMRC,” she said. Meanwhile, a joint inspection team of Delhi Metro, Reliance Infrastructure and Indian Railways gave its findings on the issue to the Urban Development Ministry. PTI