'Clear Dues Or Lose Advertising Funds': SC's 1-Week Deadline To AAP Over Delhi-Meerut RRTS

The SC in July this year had directed the government to clear all its dues for the RRTS. However, it failed to do so.

The Delhi-Meerut RRTS was launched last month.

Source : PTI

The Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi government on Tuesday for not transferring its share of funds for the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project. The court warned that it would order the transfer of the advertisement funds of the Delhi government to the RRTS project if the funds were not transferred within one week. The dues owed by the Delhi government for the current fiscal amount to Rs 550 crore.

The SC in July this year had directed the government to clear all its dues for the RRTS. The Delhi-Meerut RRTS was launched by PM Modi last month.

In its order, the SC was quoted as saying by legal news website Live Law: "Gross breach of directions by this court of assurance given on behalf of state govt...In April, we had specifically mentioned the balance amount payable by the Delhi government and directed them to pay the amount promptly. Amount is not paid... Details show that the three-year budgetary provision was almost Rs 1,100 crore, while for this financial year was Rs 550 crore. If such national projects are affected, and if money is being spent on advertisement, we would be inclined to ask the money to be directed to the infrastructure."

"We are, thus, constrained to direct the funds allocated for advertisement purposes to be transferred to the project in question. At the request of the learned counsel's request, we'll keep this order in abeyance for a period of one week. If the funds are not transferred, the order is to come into operation," a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said.

To this, senior advocate Meenkashi Arora, representing the Delhi government urged the court to allow her time to come back with instructions. Justice Kaul agreed, saying: "We will list it after a week to see what you have done. If this is the only way states will listen."

The court also asked the government not to go "back & forth" on the issue.