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DDA allocates ₹3,500cr for infra projects in next year’s budget
New Delhi The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allocated over ₹3,500 crore to infrastructure projects with a special focus on environment in its budget for the next financial year
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allocated over ₹3,500 crore to infrastructure projects with a special focus on environment in its budget for the next financial year. The budget for 2021-22 was approved on Wednesday in a meeting chaired by Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal.
The DDA, which already has more than 35,000 flats in various stages of constructions, especially in three sub-cities ---Narela, Dwarka and Rohini— has decided to develop civic infrastructure in a big way in the upcoming year.
For this, the DDA has decided to spend ₹2,326 crore on land development and civic infrastructure such as roads, sewerage, water supply, power lines and drainage, mainly in the three sub-cities of Narela, Dwarka and Rohini.
DDA officials said that of the three sub-cities, special focus will be on Narela, where a majority of its new flats are located. DDA has been struggling to sell its flats in Narela mainly due to its poor connectivity with the rest of the city, said a senior official.
The DDA has decided to pay ₹1,000 crore, in a phased manner, to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the construction of Rithala-Bawana-Narela corridor, which is going to be the first metrolite corridor developed by DMRC in the city. The DDA has written to DMRC in this regard last year.
Last year, the DDA wrote to DMRC to rework the alignment for its Phase 4’s Rithala-Narela line—one of the two metrolite projects in Delhi—to synchronise it with the development proposed under the ambitious land pooling policy.
“We will pay ₹1,000 crore for the project. We have allocated ₹400 crore in next year’s budget for the Metro project. We are focusing on developing Narela in a big way. A concept plan for the development of land parcels in Narela is being prepared by our consultant. The report will be ready by next month,” said a senior DDA official.
Another major road transport project for which DDA will pay for is the development of Urban Extension Road-II, which will connect four national highways and provide seamless access between north and north-west Delhi to IGI airport.
NHAI, which is constructing the 75km long stretch, had asked DDA to pay for the viability gap funding worth ₹4,000 crore.
In its ₹6,738 crore, DDA has allocated ₹500 crore for construction of city’s first Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project at Karkardooma, spread over 30 acres. The project is aimed at integrated development, including housing, commercial and office complexes, around the Metro station.
The DDA has allocated ₹280 crore for the development of the Centre’s ambitious project to develop Bharat Vandana park, which will have replicas of monuments from across the country.
While the work on the rejuvenation and restoration of river Yamuna floodplain is going on, DDA has allocated ₹40 crore to revive 41 water bodies in the city.
In the coming year, the DDA will start the construction work of four sports complexes—three in Dwarka and one in Rohini—and a golf course in Dwarka, for which ₹400 crore has been allotted.
The DDA has allocated ₹1,100 crore for housing projects, which mostly includes projects related to slum redevelopment.
AK Jain, former planning commission, “The focus on civic and transport infrastructure is a good move. Narela should be developed as a sustainable, carbon-neutral, smart city. The biggest problem is lack of connectivity with the rest of the city. With DDA agreeing to pay for Metro facility, the area will benefit from it. There is a need to have a comprehensive plan prepared for Narela.”
