DMRC gets ₹8,390-cr from JICA for Phase-IV expansion work

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has got a significant funding boost from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), sanctioning a loan worth ₹8,390 crore for Metro's Phase 4 expansion plan. Executive Director of Corporate Communication, Anuj Dayal, informed that the amount sanctioned is Japanese Yen 119,978 million amounting to ₹8,390 crore. DMRC initially started work under Phase 4 in December 2019, but it failed to start work on some of its underground sections because of cash crunch. The JICA loan is meant specifically for the construction of the Phase 4 corridors and can't be used by DMRC to meet its operational losses. While there are six corridors, spread over 104 km under Phase 4, the central government has approved three corridors so far thereby adding 65-km to the existing 389-km network. The approved corridors are Aerocity-Tughlakabad (20.2km), Maujpur-Majlis Park (12.5 km) and Janakpuri West- RK Ashram corridor (28.9 km). DMRC started work on the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram corridor in December 2019 but due to the pandemic crisis, the construction work was stalled in the initial months, however, it picked up pace later on.