The Supreme Court has taken a strong stance against the Delhi government's claim of a lack of funds for the upcoming Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) project and has demanded an explanation regarding the government's expenditures on advertisements in the last three financial years. A bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia has directed the National Capital Territory (NCT) government to submit an affidavit detailing the funds allocated for advertisements within two weeks.
The court's order was prompted by the Delhi government's reluctance to contribute funds to the RRTS project due to financial constraints, as revealed during a hearing on environmental matters. In response, the court questioned the government's expenditure on advertisements and suggested diverting those funds towards the crucial transportation project. The bench emphasized that undertaking such a project itself is a form of advertisement, and therefore, the court wants to assess the government's spending on other initiatives.
The RRTS project aims to establish rapid transit corridors connecting the national capital with neighbouring states. The Delhi government's financial commitment was crucial for the project, including the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut segment, where it was expected to provide approximately Rs 1,180 crore, with Rs 415 crore yet to be released. Similar funding issues have arisen for the Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat segments. The court's order to scrutinize advertisement expenditures comes amid allegations that the Delhi government has spent around Rs 1,100 crore on advertising over the past three years.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and accused the Delhi government of prioritizing self-promotion over development work. BJP IT-cell head Amit Malviya highlighted the alleged discrepancy between the lack of funds for the RRTS project and the substantial amount spent on advertisements. The AAP government has not yet responded to these allegations.
The Delhi government's advertising expenses have faced scrutiny in the past, with recovery notices being issued for alleged misuse of government funds for political advertisements. The Supreme Court had previously issued guidelines in 2015 regarding the appropriate use of government advertising funds.
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