Delhi govt ropes in GMR for road beautification, cleaning drive

The company will carry out drip irrigation, jet cleaning, increase plantation and maintain regular upkeep of the corridor, said officials.

New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said that curbing air pollution in Delhi requires collective participation from citizens, government agencies and private organisations.

The government has asked residents to avoid burning wood, coal and biomass and adopt practices such as carpooling to ease vehicular load. (Sathiya)

Gupta signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Public Works Department (PWD) and GMR Group at the Delhi Secretariat for maintenance and beautification of a key road stretch from Azadpur Market to Inderlok, including several south and central Delhi stretches.

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, the company will carry out drip irrigation, jet cleaning, increase plantation and maintain regular upkeep of the corridor. The work is planned for three years at an estimated cost of ₹6 crore. PWD officials added that execution of the project has already begun.

“We are engaging private firms to adopt major road corridors and flyovers under CSR partnership to support its pollution-control measures. Enforcement agencies have been directed to take strict action against violators,” said Gupta.

The chief minister also urged workplaces to implement work-from-home option wherever possible to help reduce congestion.

She said that the administration has launched a citywide initiative called ‘Pradushan ke viruddh Dilli ka yuddh’, and announced a large-scale road-washing and sprinkling drive along the Ring Road corridor on Saturday.

Senior officials said that the plan covers several high-traffic locations, including the Madhuban Chowk–Mukarba Chowk stretch, Chirag Delhi, Panchsheel Club and IIT flyovers, Punjabi Bagh Flyover and Aurobindo Marg, the Ram Mandir side of the Punjabi Bagh Flyover on Outer Ring Road, Munirka Flyover, Netaji Subhash Place Flyover, Oberoi-Lodhi Road Flyover and Karampura Flyover.

The government has been working on controlling road dust, one of the major contributors to PM10 levels in the Capital, officials said, adding that the cleaning exercise will be taken up through water sprinkling and mechanical sweepers.

The government has also asked residents to avoid burning wood, coal and biomass and adopt practices such as carpooling to ease vehicular load.