India News | AAP Govt's 2023-24 Budget Syncs Projects to G20

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Targeting a "clean, beautiful and modern" city ahead of the G20 Summit, the AAP government's 2023-24 Budget syncs its projects focused on upgrading roads and public transport, and cleaning the Yamuna to the global event later this year.

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While presenting the Budget in the assembly, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot said a comprehensive infrastructure rejuvenation project is being launched in a "very significant year" when Delhi will be hosting India's first G20 Summit.

"Keeping this in mind, I am proposing several schemes in this Budget which aim to fulfil this objective," he said, citing various projects, including those for upgrading and beautifying the city's 1400-km road network and cleaning the Yamuna river.

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He also highlighted the Delhi government's projects to construct 26 flyovers and underpasses, and three double-decker flyovers, remove the city's three garbage landfills and create world class Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs).

Besides the Summit in September, the national capital ahead of the meet is also hosting major G20 events.

"The coming (financial) year is going to be a significant one for Delhi as we will be hosting India's first G20 summit. The entire world's eyes are going to be on Delhi," Gahlot said.

"Building on the landmark infrastructure projects initiated by Kejriwal government over the past eight years, the coming year presents a tremendous opportunity for Delhi to showcase itself as a clean, beautiful, and modern city on the global stage," he said.

The minister, while presenting the Budget, elaborated nine specific projects for boosting infrastructure for making a "clean, beautiful and modern" Delhi and announced significant allocations for them.

The project for revamping the entire 1400 km of the public works department's (PWD) road network will include maintenance of central verges and footpaths with mechanised sweeping and use of greenery, he said.

Fixing potholes, lane marking, zebra crossing repair, encroachment removal, regular cleaning of footpaths using mechanised road sweeping and washing of roads will be undertaken, Gahlot said.

"The whole initiative of upgrading and beautifying Delhi's roads is being planned with a 10-year horizon and with an anticipated expenditure of Rs 19,466 crore. For the coming financial year, Rs 2,034 crore is proposed for this scheme," he said.

The budget also proposed an allocation of Rs 772 crore for the construction work of the 26 new flyovers and underpasses.

It also has an outlay of Rs 320 crore for three double-decker flyovers from Bhajanpura to Yamuna Vihar, Azadpur to Rani Jhansi intersections, and from Saket to Pul Prahaladpur stretches.

"I propose a total budget of Rs 3,126 crore for all the above projects of roads and bridges," Gahlot said citing Gustavo Petro "a developed country is not a place where the poor have cars, it's where the rich use public transportation."

Gahlot said the dream of a clean and beautiful Delhi is incomplete without a clean and beautiful Yamuna.

"In the next year, we will rapidly expand the reach of the sewer network to all the colonies and JJ clusters of Delhi and upgrade the capacities of our sewage treatment plants on a war footing to achieve the vision of Clean Yamuna," he said.

Building on the multiple efforts initiated in the last eight years, the Delhi government is working on a six-point action plan to clean the Yamuna, including upgrading and expanding sewage treatment plants (STPs) and sewer connectivity to all households, desilting the sewerline network, trapping and diversion of sewage drains, and shifting industrial units to conforming areas, Gahlot said.

The finance minister also announced that the three landfills in the city will be cleared in the next two years.

The government will work with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in this regard, he said and announced a loan of Rs 850 crore to the civic body for the purpose.

Announcing various initiatives to boost the public transport system, he said 1,900 electric buses will be added to the public transport fleet by the end of this year. Currently, 300 electric buses are running on Delhi's roads.

Gahlot said the government plans to induct 10,480 buses, of them 80 per cent e-buses, by 2025. The green buses will help save 4.6 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, he said.

The finance minister also announced launch of 100 small sized e-buses as 'Mohalla Buses' to meet the requirement of last mile connectivity to remote pockets of the city.

He said the "massive" plan of e-bus induction over the next 12 years involves Rs 28,556 crore. "I propose an allocation of Rs 3,500 crore for Delhi government bus services towards the next financial year," he said.

Other transport related initiatives included charging facilities at 57 bus depots, development of ISBTs at Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmiri Gate and Anand Vihar into bus ports having airport like facilities. It also involved multilevel bus depots at Hari Nagar and Vasant Vihar, and two modern bus terminals at Nehru Place and Najafgarh, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)