Arvind Kejriwal, Harsh Vardhan praise Sheila Dikshit’s work in city

Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Union science and technology minister Harsh Vardhan look at a map of an elevated road from Prembari Pul to Azadpur on Ring Road in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday praised former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit for initiating the Azadpur-Prembari Pul elevated corridor, which was inaugurated on Tuesday.

The 1.6-km elevated corridor will decongest areas like Ashok Vihar, Shalimar Bagh and Wazirpur and allow unhindered traffic flow along the entire 44-km Ring Road. The Aam Aadmi Party government managed to complete the construction of the corridor in Rs 100 crore, less than the actual outlay of Rs 247.17 crore.

The Dikshit government had initiated the project in 2013. “The entire credit for initiating the Azadpur-Prembari Pul elevated corridor goes to Ms Dikshit. When we took over the government, only 20-30 per cent of the work on this project was completed but, in the last eight months, we have completed the remaining works and will do the same for other projects as well,” Mr Kejriwal said.

Mr Vardhan, a former Delhi BJP president and the Union minister for science and technology and earth sciences, too praised Ms Dikshit, who was at the helm in Delhi for 15 years, saying that we should not engage in politics over development works. Referring to Ms Dikshit, he said that “there should no politics over developmental works for the sake of Delhi.”

Mr Kejriwal, meanwhile, claimed it was the first time that a project whose sanctioned cost was Rs 250 crore was completed at an actual cost of Rs 150 crore. “I think this is for the first time that a flyover, whose sanctioned cost was Rs 250 crore, has been built at an actual cost of Rs 150 crore. We have heard till now that a project having sanctioned cost of Rs 250 crore was constructed at a cost of Rs 500 crore. We will now build two flyovers at a cost at which only one flyover was earlier constructed. We will not waste taxpayers’ money,” he added.

Mr Kejriwal further said, “I want to thank Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu,” adding that the Delhi government and his ministry was working together well. He further said that on November 22, the Delhi government will launch a major clean-up drive under the “leadership” of Mr Naidu as part of the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan.

A senior PWD official said that with the inauguration of the Azadpur to Prembari Pul elevated corridor, 7,665 kilometres of fuel will be saved every year. Besides, an individual would save 12 minutes per day and 15,000 tonnes CO2 emission can also be reduced annually. “The newly-inaugurated flyover will also reduce the noise level by around 16 decibels as per CRRI certification, solving a long-standing issue for the occupants of adjacent buildings. The latest technology of ground water recharging with recycled polypropylene modular structure has been implemented in this project,” the official added.

The elevated corridor will bypass three traffic intersections at Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar and fire station on Ring Road.