Proximity Of Line To Heritage Structures Had Upset Conservationists New Delhi: Even before work started on phase III of the Delhi Metro, the project could be heading for delay. The controversial heritage corridor, which will go from Janpath to Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and on to Kashmere Gate, looks set to miss its 2016 deadline as it awaits the green signal from the heritage body, National Monuments Authority. Now, sources in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) say that if the nod doesn’t come in by the end of the year, the 2016 deadline for the corridor may not be a possibility. Said a senior DMRC official, “The approval has been given by the competent authority for the Delhi heritage circle, but a final approval is still awaited from NMA. If it doesn’t come in by the end of the year, it would have an adverse effect on the timeline of the project, and may overshoot its 2016 completion.” Interestingly, the Delhi Metro has already started work on the corridor. It claims the preliminary groundwork like floating of tenders for the construction and design of the tunnel as well as the construction of the stations at ITO and Jama Masjid have already been taken out earlier last month. Added the official, “The prebid meeting for the tender took place earlier in October…we are finalizing the tender so that work can take off immediately once the approval comes in.” According to Delhi Metro officials, in the normal sequence of events, the time between finalizing the tender and mobilizing the contractor is between one-and-half to two months. With tender finalization scheduled for November, DMRC sources said that civil work was expected to start from early 2012 on the corridor as per the existing timeline. With the JICA (Japan International Co-operation Agency) already visiting the site earlier on September 20, the corridor is one of the important lines in phase III. The line will not only convert Mandi House into an interchange station, thereby taking some of the load from Rajiv Chowk, but also link several heritage monuments to the metro system. The proximity of the alignment to heritage structures like Delhi Gate and Sunehri Bagh had raised red flags amongst conservationists. DMRC officials however, say that the alignment was changed to accommodate the heritage body’s concerns. A Delhi Metro official said that with the line being underground, almost 18m, the alignment was not expected to impact the neighboring monuments. It will however, mean the cutting down of over 203 trees along the corridor, near Chelmsford club, Janpath and Mandi House. DMRC says it has already paid Rs 28,000 per tree to the department of environment of the government of Delhi for compensatory afforestation.