MCD likely to miss July 31 deadline to complete CWG works

With several projects like streetscaping and other beautification works still to be completed ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the capital's civic agency has decided to miss its July 31 deadline and stretch it into next month.

With several projects like streetscaping and other beautification works still to be completed ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the capital's civic agency has decided to miss its July 31 deadline and stretch it into next month.

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Earlier this month at a meeting with Delhi government officials and Delhi Finance Minister AK Walia, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had promised to complete all the projects related to the mega event by July 31.

However, most of the works for laying underground cables and drainage works are running behind schedule in most parts of the city, particularly in Karol Bagh and Paharganj.

"The work is getting delayed as agencies like BSES, New Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) are digging the newly-laid roads for their cable work. Once they finish their work, the MCD will finalise the projects within the time frame," Delhi Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney told journalists during a visit to Games sites.

However, an official with the civic body's engineering department, pleading anonymity, said: "The streetscaping and ducting work carried out in Paharganj and Karol Bagh will be completed only by mid-August."

A shop owner in Paharganj area said: "The work for laying cables and drainage started only yesterday (Thursday). They have cut the roads, creating lots of problems for commuters."

Another MCD official said the progress of work undertaken around Delhi University's north campus is also slow. "The improvement of Guru Teg Bahadur Road is 40 per cent complete, while that of University Road and Roshanara Road is 50 per cent complete. The stretch from Boulevard Road to Bhagwan Dass Chowk and St Stephens Hospital is only 30 per cent complete."

The streetscaping project near Thyagraj Stadium, a Games venue, has been completed and the work on Dilip Singh Marg at Siri Fort Complex is nearing completion.

The improvement work on roads around Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the October 3-14 Games, is nearing completion. Also, the bus parking for athletes at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at a cost of Rs 320 crore is almost finished. The facility was built in a year after demolishing 10,000 huts, which were present there.

The MCD earlier promised to complete all the Games-related works by June 30 but later extended it till July 31.

However, Sawhney insisted they would try to finish the work by July 31. "We have finished almost 90 per cent of the work. The rest of the works is getting delayed only due to various other agencies. We will try to finish by July 31."