Delhi to get ₹700 cr for construction, maintenance, beautification of roads

The Centre has decided to provide ₹700 crore to the national capital out of a fund for construction, repair, maintenance and beautification of roads in the city. The decision was taken during a meeting between Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari and Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena.The makeover of road infrastructure in the capital will go a long way for road owning agencies in Delhi like the PWD and MCD. The Union minister also directed the NHAI to bear the cost of repair, refurbishing and beautification of all its roads in the city, and also bear the cost being incurred in the upgradation of the stretch of road between Mahipalpur (IGI Airport) and Dhaula Kuan, which is being undertaken in a mission mode under direct supervision of the LG.

On a request by the LG that the NHAI lift and use the inert gathered at the three landfill sites in Delhi, over and above the 20 lakh tonne that it had already committed to use, the Union minister has directed the NHAI to lift and use the entire inert for its road construction activities, it said.

The minister also highlighted that despite the fact that this would result in increased transportation cost for the NHAI, it will help the national capital flatten the garbage mountains that have come up in the city over decades.

The meeting also highlighted that the hitherto relevant pending issues, like tree cutting, translocation permissions, allotment of land, handing over of possession of allotted land, removal of garbage collection point, shifting of power transmission line on part of Delhi government or DDA or MCD had already been completed, the Raj Niwas said.