₹700 crore central fund for beautification of Delhi roads

The Union minister also directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to bear the cost for the upkeep and upgrade of all roads under its jurisdiction in the city

Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, after a meeting with Delhi’s lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday, decided to provide ₹700 crore from the Central Road Fund (CRF) to repair and upgrade roads in the national capital, said a senior official aware of the meeting.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena at a review meeting on the ongoing National Highway projects in Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

Gadkari also raised concerns over the delay in various central government road infrastructure projects, due to pending permissions from various Delhi government departments.

“For road-owning agencies in Delhi like the PWD [Public Works Department] and MCD [Municipal Corporation of Delhi] and others, this will go a long way in the makeover of road infrastructure in the Capital,” said the official cited above.

Apart from this, the Union minister also directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to bear the cost for the upkeep and upgrade of all roads under its jurisdiction in the city.

“NHAI will also bear the cost incurred to upgrade the stretch between Mahipalpur and Dhaula Kuan, which is being undertaken in a mission mode under direct supervision of the LG,” said an official.

Several roads leading out from the Delhi airport and in the New Delhi region are being revamped ahead of the G20 summit next year and a bunch of events in the city during India’s G20 presidency.

Officials said that two of the highways authority’s key projects — Dwarka Expressway and Urban Road Extension-II, both facing a December 2023 deadline — have been held up for want of permissions from the Delhi government’s environment and revenue departments.

A Delhi government spokesperson did not respond to requests seeking comment.

The LG on Monday approved 11 other projects that were awaiting approvals from the Delhi government between three months and three years.

According to senior NHAI officials, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) ordered a stop on construction on all packages of UER-II and the Dwarka Expressway on November 30 this year, a matter that Gadkari and the LG discussed on Tuesday.

“Despite repeated requests, they have not allowed us to start the work. Moreover, they have imposed a fine of ₹2.5 crore on us. The projects can’t be completed on schedule if DPCC doesn’t allow us to restart constructions,” said an NHAI official.

A senior DPCC official said the environmental compensation of ₹50 lakh on each package ( ₹2.5 crore) and the order to stop work was due to the “violation of dust control measures” during work on the UER-II project.

Officials said that the matter was discussed in detail and NHAI was directed to submit a compliance report.

“The Delhi LG has addressed most of the issues related to our projects on Monday. But the only issue pending now is the stop-work order by DPCC and the penalty imposed by our contractors. As for waiving the penalty, no decision has been taken,” said the official.

Further, after the meeting, Gadkari has, after a request by the LG, directed NHAI to use over two million tonnes of inert waste from Delhi’s three landfill sites and use it to build roads.

“The minister underlined that despite the fact that this will result in increased cartage [transportation cost] for the NHAI, it will help the Capital flatten its garbage mountains, which have come up over decades,” said an official.