BJP glare on govt for slow projects

Promise and delay seems to be the new buzzword for the Delhi government.

Promise and delay seems to be the new buzzword for the Delhi government.

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The Sheila Dikshit government on Thursday drew flak from the Opposition in the Assembly for not commencing construction on a number of projects for which foundation stones had been laid years ago.

The Opposition came down heavily on the government for its alleged apathetic attitude towards the implementation of such projects, the biggest among which includes the construction of a 750-bedded hospital in Dwarka.

The project, which was supposed to come up at a cost of R567 crore, has been lying in limbo ever since the laying of its foundation stone. The project, first conceived in the year in 1996 as a 500-bed hospital, was later decided to be upgraded to a 700-bed facility. “Fourteen years have gone by, yet the hospital in Dwarka is not ready. In fact there has been no progress at all in the construction work. Has the government been sleeping for all these years? The government had promised so many projects, most of which are yet to be cleared,” said Jagdish Mukhi, BJP MLA from Janakpuri. He added that in the absence of a proper health centre, people continued to suffer daily waiting in long queues to get medicinal facilities.Health minister Ashok Kumar Walia, however, claimed that the project had received clearance from all necessary agencies, including the Delhi Development Authority and the fire department and would be tabled in a cabinet meeting soon before being cleared.

“The building plan has been cleared and estimates made. As the project is more than R100 crore, an approval from the cabinet is required. It will be commissioned soon,” Walia said.