New Delhi, Aug 7 - Parliamentary approval was Friday accorded to a bill seeking to extend the Delhi Metro service to the national capital region (NCR), including the satellite towns of Noida and Gurgaon, with the Rajya Sabha unanimously adopting the relevant measure on the concluding day of the budget session.

The Metro Railways (Amendment) Bill accords legal cover to constructing, maintaining and operating Metro services in Noida and Gurgaon, work for which is in an advanced stage. The Lok Sabha had approved it a day earlier.

Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, who moved the bill, complimented MPs across the spectrum for their 'rare unanimity' in supporting the measure and for their lavish praise of Delhi Metro chief E. Sreedharan.

He also sought to allay the concerns of some members on the accidents that had occurred at various construction spots in the capital.

'In 11 years, there have been 130 accidents in which 102 people have died. There are global benchmarks to judge where we, as a nation, are. We are well ahead of Singapore but slightly behind London,' he pointed out.

Reddy also addressed head-on the criticism of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in a report released last month.

'The report is a blend of generous compliments and some critical observations of a minor variety.