The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on Gurugram’s Rapid Metro and fixed the matter for September 18. The Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Limited (RMGL) will continue to operate and manage the service till Wednesday.
The petitioners — Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation Limited (HMRTCL) and Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) — submitted before the Division Bench of the court that an agreement with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been signed for the operations of the Rapid Metro.
“We have signed an agreement with the DMRC. We are ready to takeover the operations and maintenance of Rapid Metro, but we need assistance of the court so that the process of taking and handing over is carried out smoothly. We don't want the operations of the metro to suffer in the takeover process,” said senior advocate Chetan Mittal, appearing for HMRTCL.
Hearing today
Mr. Mittal told reporters that the case has been fixed for next hearing on September 18. “The RMGL will continue to operate and manage the metro till then,” he said.
Mr. Mittal said that as petitioner they submitted before the court that the payment of debt amount for transfer has to be settled, which should be audited by a government agency. “The respondents during the hearing said that they are ready to continue operations unless the debt is finalised,” said Mr. Mittal.
The HMRTCL and HSVP had approached the High Court challenging the validity of the termination notice and sought the court’s directions on continuity of the metro by RMGL and Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon South Limited [RMGSL], the two special purpose vehicles floated by IL&FS for the project. The IL&FS is facing bankruptcy proceedings in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, putting the metro service at risk of closure.
