Airport Metro, PPP hopes not lost, says UD secretary

But govt must be accountable to how they are implemented

The government has not yet given up hope on the airport Metro project, suspended since July 8 following discovery of structural faults.

The government also does not feel that a public-private partnership (PPP) model is unsuited for infrastructure projects.

“Problems in the Delhi Metro Airport Express, a PPP model, should not be taken as failure of all such PPP projects in the infrastructure sector,” said urban development secretary Sudhir Krishna.

He was speaking at the ‘Challenges of PPP’, a session at the 27th Indian Engineering Congress organised by the Institute of Engineers on Sunday.

“The urban development ministry is upbeat and positive about the future of PPP models in infrastructure, including the Delhi Metro Airport Express project, which will soon be operational after a final nod from the commissioner of Metro rail safety,” Krishna said.

He said measures are being taken to resolve the issue between Delhi Metro and Reliance, the concessionaire of the Airport Metro Express Line, India’s first PPP Metro project.

“In the Delhi Metro Airport project, the basic structure has been developed by DMRC and superstructure by a Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium. Both are blaming each other,” he said.

“Currently, issues and modalities are being worked out to resolve the matter,” he added.

Services on the Rs 5,700-crore project, touted as an urban infrastructure showpiece, were stopped on July 8 because of major structural defects. Reliance Infrastructure, which operated the line, said civil defects were noticed from day one of the service. It is not certain when the line will restart.

Launched mainly to ferry people to Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, the 23-km line averaged a daily ridership of 20,000. Around 70 per cent commuters were air passengers.

Defending PPP model in the infrastructure sector, Krishna said: “The other PPP projects taken up by the urban development ministry under the Urban Renewal Mission involving solid waste management projects are a roaring success.”

“The ministry is working on management of construction and demolition waste policy. This will help in reducing a number of landfills.”

He said PPP should not be equated with privatisation. “The government should not feel that it has no accountability towards implementation and overseeing of the PPP,” he added.