Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Reliance Infrastructure are indulging in “passing the buck” over the suspension of operations of the Airport Metro Express line.

“There is passing of buck currently therefore we should get a third party so that it can find out what caused the problem,” Dikshit told reporters.

“The committee will find out and submit its report to secretary of urban development ministry then they will be able to come to a conclusion,” she said.

The Airport Metro, which ferries over 15,000 people daily over a 23-km line, covers the distance between New Delhi railway station and Indira Gandhi International Airport in 18 minutes.

A joint venture between DMRC and Reliance Infra, operations on the line were suspended from July 8 after some faults were detected on the civil structure on the corridor.

“Our main concern is that there should be no issue of safety and efficiency. Safety and smooth train running are the most important issue,” the chief minister said.

However, both the entities have blamed each other for the suspension of services.

DMRC chief Mangu Singh, in a letter to Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, had said that the situation could have been a averted if the concessionaire had detected defects on time.

When asked about Singh’s letter to Nath, Dikshit said: “I cannot comment on his statement.”

However, concessionaire Reliance Infrastructure has hit back at the DMRC, retorting that the corporation had endangered the lives of commuters.

While the civil structure on the line has been built by Delhi Metro, the Reliance Infra is responsible for operations and maintenance.