more-in “Difference of opinion” related to construction of an interoperable hub, which will have a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station as its backbone at Sarai Kale Khan, will be ironed out over the coming week, sources in the Delhi Transport Department said. Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had last week rejected the National Capital Region Transport Corporation’s (NCRTC) proposal to build an elevated station, supposed to serve as the nerve centre for the Delhi-Meerut corridor at a cost of an estimated ?34,697 crore. The Centre and the governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan are part of the NCRTC, which is the executing agency for two other links — the Delhi-Panipat and the Delhi-Alwar corridors — which will also have Sarai Kale Khan as their hub. “Mr. Gahlot stated that the approved Detailed Project Report [DPR], which received all necessary clearances over time, was supposed to be an underground one instead of an elevated one,” said a source in the Department. “However, the station now being proposed is elevated and will require more land, in addition to triggering another round of seeking clearances from multiple agencies. It will also interfere with the redevelopment plan of Sarai Kale Khan ISBT, the work orders for which can be tendered out any day now,” the source said. After the Department stated its objections to the NCRTC in a meeting earlier this week, the Department has now written to the corporation to clarify “certain points” over the coming days. “The project is certainly on track. In addition to whether the station will be elevated or underground, there are certain issues related to construction of a proposed hotel at the location as well as an issue related to some land which belongs to the Railways on the Nizamuddin railway station side, for which we have sought clarification,” said another Departmental source. “The Delhi government has no objection to construction of the station at Sarai Kale Khan but only if it is an underground, one as per the DPR approved by the UTTIPEC, the Delhi government and other agencies concerned. Consultations on this will commence and continue from next week,” said the source. Sarai Kale Khan is geographically hemmed in between an inter-State expressway, an upcoming metro station, an under-construction extension of the yet-to-materialise phase-III of Barapullah flyover and a railway station. Sources said the NCRTC has proposed elevated walkways, foot overbridges, lifts and escalators to link the elevated RRTS station with the nearby metro station, the ISBT and railway station.

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