Metro Construction Concerns? RTI to the Metro Corporation

Part of Pillar 2 — RTI for Community & Society. See also smart city RTI.

• Construction near home — dust, vibration, traffic, parking loss.
• Land / property acquired — compensation disputed.
• Timeline slippage — project delay hurting area commerce.
• Environment clearance — EIA report not public.
• Tender irregularities — same contractor, cartels.
• Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) not honoured.

• Property marked for acquisition — need notification copy.
• Compensation less than prevailing rate.
• R&R undertaking pending > 6 months.
• Construction nuisance complaint ignored.
• Alignment change rumoured; want official record.

• Feasibility / Detailed Project Report (DPR).
• Environment clearance (EC) and Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).
• Land-acquisition notification under Section 11 / 19 of LARR, 2013.
• Tender records — technical and financial bids of awarded contractor.
• Payment milestones to contractor.
• R&R records and grievance log.
• Public-consultation minutes.
• Delay analysis and cost-revision record.

• Metro Corporation CPIO — via rtionline.gov.in → Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
• State Urban Development Department — for state-funded portions.
• Environment Ministry (MoEFCC) / State Environment Authority — for EC records.
• District Collectorate (DM / LAO) — for land acquisition.
• Rs. 10 fee; BPL free.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
[Metro Corporation — CPIO] / District Collectorate [Land Acquisition Section] / State Environment Impact Assessment Authority,
[Address]

Subject: Information under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, regarding the [Line / Phase / Station] metro project.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Name], resident of [Full Address], submit:

Metro Line / Phase: ________
Station / Depot / Alignment of concern: ________
Nature of concern (land / construction / compensation / R&R / environment): ________
Survey / Khasra number (if land-related): ________

Please provide:

1. Certified copy of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the line, with cost estimate and timeline.
2. Environment Clearance (EC) and Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report; and public-consultation minutes.
3. Land-acquisition notifications issued under LARR, 2013 covering my property, with the compensation schedule.
4. Tender records — RFP, technical-evaluation minutes, financial-bid comparison, and the Letter of Award to the awarded contractor.
5. Payment-milestone schedule to the contractor and payments released so far.
6. Rehabilitation & Resettlement entitlement for my household and its disbursement status.
7. Complaint-register entries raised by me / neighbours and action-taken report.
8. Current revised completion date and the reasons for any prior revision.
9. Cost-revision record and approving authority.
10. First Appellate Authority contact.

I enclose Indian Postal Order No. __________ for Rs. 10.
I declare I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature, Date, Place]

1. DPR copy.
2. EIA / EC record.
3. Land-acquisition notification.
4. Tender records + LoA.
5. Payment milestones.
6. R&R entitlement.
7. Complaint action-taken.
8. Revised completion date.
9. Cost-revision record.
10. FAA contact.

• Day 0–10 RTI routed.
• Day 10–25 DPR + EC records usually available; tender records may take more time.
• Day 30 Reply mandatory.
• Day 30+ First Appeal + NGT / High Court for alignment / environment / compensation.

• Not citing the specific line / phase / station.
• Asking for bidder's internal documents — §8(1)(d) commercial confidence applies.
• Ignoring the State EIA Authority for EC records.
• Missing LARR, 2013 for compensation rules.

• Namit Sharma v. Union of India (2013) 1 SCC 745 — procedural accountability of public authorities.
• State of Gujarat v. Mirzapur Moti Kureshi (2005) 8 SCC 534 — public interest in large infrastructure.
• Centre for Public Interest Litigation v. Union of India (2012) — tender disclosure.

• For property acquisition, the Section 11 notification is the key document — RTI extracts it.
• Tender technical-bid records are disclosable post-award; financial breakdown may be redacted under §8(1)(d).
• For delay / cost-overrun, CAG performance-audit observations are public.
• RWA / residents' association group filing raises the urgency signal.

Q1. Are metro corporations fully in RTI scope?
Yes — they are substantially financed by the government.

Q2. Can I see the contractor's internal cost sheet?
No — it is the contractor's commercial IP. Payment milestones and price-schedule are disclosable.

Q3. What if the metro corporation is a JV with a private partner?
Still in scope — the government equity / guarantee makes it a public authority.

Q4. How public is the EIA?
Public consultation is a statutory step under EIA Notification, 2006; RTI extracts the minutes and submissions.

A metro line is a public work of enormous scale. RTI lets residents and civic groups read the DPR, verify the process, and hold delivery accountable.

• RTI for Smart City Mission
• RTI for slum rehabilitation
• Pillar 2 — Community
• Environment & pollution RTI

• RTI Act, 2005, Sections 2(h), 4, 8(1)(d)
• LARR Act, 2013
• Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006
• Metro Railways Act, 2002

Last reviewed: 21 April 2026.