
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO)© 2025 Asian Development Bank6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, PhilippinesTel +63 28632 4444; Fax +63 28636 2444Some rights reserved. Published in 2025.Publication Stock No. ARM250204-2The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do notnecessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent.ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in thispublication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use.The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers doesnot imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ADB in preference toothers of a similar nature that are not mentioned.By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory orgeographic area in this document, ADB does not intend to make anyjudgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.This publication is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGOlicense (CC BY 3.0 IGO) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/.By using the content of this publication, you agree to be bound by the termsof this license. For attribution, translations, adaptations, and permissions,please read the provisions and terms of use at https://www.adb.org/terms-use#openaccess. www.adb.org This CC license does not apply to non-ADB copyright materials in thispublication. If the material is attributed to another source, please contactthe copyright owner or publisher of that source for permission to reproduceit. ADB cannot be held liable for any claims that arise as a result of your useof the material.Please contact pubsmarketing@adb.org if you have questions or commentswith respect to content, or if you wish to obtain copyright permission for yourintended use that does not fall within these terms, or for permission touse the ADB logo.Corrigenda to ADB publications may be found at http://www.adb.org/publications/corrigenda.Notes:In this publication, “$” refers to United States dollars.The white background image on the front cover and on page 1 are by freepik.com.All other photos in this publication are by ADB.Cover design and layout by Edzelle Peña. The Office of the Special Project Facilitator (OSPF) isone of the two units of the Accountability Mechanismat the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It receivescomplaints relating to ADB’s social and environmentalpolicies, from people and communities that claimthat they have been harmed by ADB’s projects andprograms. OSPF seeks to solve problems by bringingpeople together and undertaking various forms ofdispute resolution. It does not apportion blame butattempts to bring ADB projects into conformity withthe bank’s policies, recognizing that more serious harmcan occur if complaints are not addressed quickly.The other unit of the Accountability Mechanism,the Compliance Review Panel, investigates complaintsto see whether there has been a breach of ADB’s socialand environmental policies. Complainants may chooseeither function. Both functions of the AccountabilityMechanism—the problem-solving as well asthe investigative function—provide solutionsand remedies that are implemented by ADB projectteams and are critical for development accountability. The Delhi-Meerut rapid transit system will pass throughthe densely populated sections of the National Capital Region,connecting Delhi to Meerut in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The ProjectADB invested more than $1 billion in the form of a loanfor constructing the Regional Rapid Transit Systemconnecting Delhi with Meerut, a regional city in India’sNational Capital Region.1The Asian InfrastructureInvestment Bank and the New Development Bankcofinanced the project. A flagship priority project ofthe Government of India, the project is the first of eightplanned Regional Rapid Transit System corridors thatwill connect Delhi to regional cities through high-speed1Complaint under Loan 3964 India: Delhi–Meerut Regional RapidTransit System Investment Project (SPF-2022-14-02-0134). The 82-kilometer corridor will provide safe, reliable,and high-capacity commuter transit services betweenvarious locations along the corridor. commuter trains. ADB identified the Delhi–Meerutproject to have significant potential impacts and risksrelated to environment and involuntary resettlement.This meant that particular attention had to be paid tothe environmental and social safeguards (ESS) thatwere designed to lessen harm to people.What Development BenefitsWould There Be?The project is expected to reduce pressure inthe Delhi metropolis and promote the growthand development of regional cities in the NationalCapital Region. Once completed by June 2025,when the entire 82.15-kilometer stretch from Delhito Meerut is operational, up to 800,000 passengerswill benefit per day.The aim of this project is to transform daily traveland reduce travel times.Reducing travel time