Delhi govt plans ₹4,222 crore revamp of 2,100km of roads

The exercise covers roads maintained by the PWD, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority, and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation

The Delhi government has drawn up a comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of more than 2,100km of roads across the Capital, with the overall cost pegged at over ₹4,222 crore, officials aware of the matter said on Monday.

The largest allocation – over ₹1,650 crore – has been estimated for PWD, which manages a significant portion of Delhi’s arterial and major roads, spanning more than 1,400km. (HT Archive)

The move follows a detailed review of road infrastructure projects that flagged delays, coordination gaps between agencies, and the need for tighter monitoring mechanisms.

According to officials, a large stretch of roads under multiple civic agencies has been identified as requiring urgent repair or redevelopment. The exercise covers roads maintained by the four major road-owning agencies in the city – the Public Works Department (PWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC).

The largest allocation – over ₹1,650 crore – has been estimated for PWD, which manages a significant portion of Delhi’s arterial and major roads, spanning more than 1,400km. Of this, around 616km is currently classified as being in good condition, while nearly 789km has been identified for redevelopment.

Officials said PWD’s works will focus on strengthening road surfaces, improving drainage systems, and upgrading pedestrian infrastructure. The department has already initiated “wall-to-wall” carpeting of several stretches and is implementing projects worth ₹802.18 crore to redevelop over 241 major roads, covering nearly 400km across 45 assembly constituencies.

MCD, which controls the city’s largest road network at over 6,100km, has proposed redevelopment of more than 1,200km. While approximately 4,925km of its roads are considered to be in good condition, the scale of the pending works has been estimated at nearly ₹1,600 crore. Given the vast network under its jurisdiction, officials acknowledged that execution timelines and contractor management will be key challenges.

DDA, which maintains around 458km of roads, has the task of redeveloping 112km or roads at a cost of ₹223 crore. Meanwhile, DSIIDC – largely responsible for roads in industrial areas – plans to upgrade about 63km, with projected expenditure of roughly ₹745 crore.

During review meetings, officials flagged recurring issues such as overlapping jurisdiction among agencies and repeated digging of the same stretches by different departments for utility work, leading to delays and deterioration of newly laid roads. Directions have been issued to complete redevelopment within one year, with agencies asked to finish GIS-based mapping of roads within three months to improve planning and oversight.