Sheila Dikshit complained of UD Ministry's "unilateral interventions" in DMRC matters

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has written to Defence Minister A K Antony complaining of rising instances of "unilateral intervention" by the Urban Development (UD) Ministry in key matters related to Delhi Metro.

Dikshit told Antony, who is chairman of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on matters related to Delhi Metro, that "such actions of the Ministry of Urban Development may sometime go against the interest of DMRC and GNCTD and has the potential of adversely affecting the overall functioning of DMRC."

In a strongly-worded letter to Antony, Dikshit listed several instances where the UD Ministry had taken key decisions without keeping the state government, which is an equal partner, in the loop.

Sources said Dikshit has complained in her letter that on the issue related to the stoppage of services on the Airport metro line and the related dispute between DMRC and the private concessionaire, an inquiry was ordered by the Urban Development Ministry without making any reference to it.

She said that after the inquiry report was finalised, it was sent to the Central Vigilance Commission, again without taking the state government into confidence.

Dikshit added consequently a sub committee was formed by DMRC board to consider this inquiry report.

The Delhi CM said while initially the sub-committee had two members each from the state and the central government, subsequently more members were co-opted and the number of central government members in the sub-committee increased.

This was done without the consent of her government, Dikshit said.

Dikshit also said a major tender for supplying of metro coaches was finalised by the DMRC board, which was challenged by two bidders in the High Court. She said the High Court held the DMRC's tender process as fair.

She said that despite this, the UD Ministry went ahead with an inquiry committee without taking consent of Delhi government.