Need to increase coaches to take load of road transport, Delhi Metro tells Supreme Court

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that to strengthen the public transport system to reduce the number of vehicles on the city roads the number of coaches will be increased.

Appearing for DMRC, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the bench headed by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur that by December 2017, 906 coaches will be added.

At present 1,282 coaches are there for all the metro lines in the city.

On the plea of Special Protection Group (SPG) to allow them to have more than 2000cc vehicles as they are armed vehicles for VIP protection, the bench asked amicus curaei Harish Salve to place his suggestions on it.

The court also sought responses of the Centre and the NTPC on a plea seeking closure of the coal-based power plant catering to needs of the national capital.

The apex court, reviewing the actions taken in pursuance of its various directions on pollution, agreed to the suggestion of amicus curiae Salve that even the Delhi government favoured closure of NTPC's coal-based power plant near the Yamuna river and the plea needed to be examined.

The Solicitor Genral told the bench that at present, government vehicles which are either 8-year old or have run over 1.5 lakh kms, were being phased out.