India News | Delhi LG Says He Made 'breakthroughs' Despite Challenges, Lists Achievements in 2 Yrs
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, who recently completed two years in the position, has said he has been able to "make breakthroughs" despite his "challenging" tenure so far and promised to "make the city neat and clean" within two years.
New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, who recently completed two years in the position, has said he has been able to "make breakthroughs" despite his "challenging" tenure so far and promised to "make the city neat and clean" within two years.
"It was not easy on any count, yet we made breakthroughs. Multiplicity of authorities coupled with acute political resistance and hostility, even in the matters of public welfare and national significance, made governance even more challenging," he said in a statement.
Saxena who took charge as Delhi Lt Governor on May 26, 2022, took the opportunity to highlight the various initiatives launched by him and the achievements so far.
Interacting with mediapersons, the LG listed several achievements, including successful hosting of the G20 Summit by the city last year and helping the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) as its chairman to post a surplus of Rs 535.11 crore for the first time in the last one decade
The DDA that was in red since 2012-2013, for the first time posted a surplus of Rs 535.11 crore in its general development account during financial year 2023-2024, under the LG as its chairman, a statement from Raj Niwas said.
The first visible change was seen with the LG visiting the Sardar Patel Road on the day he took oath in 2022. The road linking the the IGI airport to the city, via Dhaula Kuan, was transformed in a few days, the statement noted.
The transformation of Mathura Road, New Delhi areas, Delhi Gate, ITO and Rajghat is also there for all to see, it added.
The IGI airport used to be affected by chronic flooding during monsoon due to lack of drainage. However, in a record time of one year, trunk drains II and III, pending since a decade, were broadened and reconstructed ridding the airport of this menace, the LG's office said.
Sharing his future plans for the national capital, Saxena said the city "will be made neat and clean in next two years" with proposed initiatives such as restoration and revamping of Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid, Fatehpuri Masjid area, the Bhuli Bhatyari Complex, Sadar Bazar Complex and the Nizamuddin area.
The rehabilitation of 675 notified slum clusters, and provision of civic amenities like roads, drainage, clean drinking water, sewerage, sanitation and cleanliness in all unauthorized colonies of the city are also on the cards, according to the statement.
Development of ghats on Yamuna and cleaning of the river floodplains have also been planned, apart from the plantation of 10 lakh tulips during the winter and spring of 2024-2025, it said.
In his two-year tenure, Saxena focused on housing projects and in-situ slum rehabilitation in Delhi. In November 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the keys of 3,024 newly constructed EWS flats to the beneficiaries living in landless camps, under in-situ slum rehabilitation project in Kalkaji, the release highlighted.
"Very soon 1,675 and 2,800 flats will be handed over to beneficiaries of Jailorwala Bagh and Kathputli Colony JJ clusters," it added.
The LG played a key role in launch of the Dilli Gramodaya Abhiyan (DGA) in December 2023, with a fund of Rs 959 crore to revamp villages in the national capital. Projects worth Rs 337 crore are already being implemented, it said.
The cooking gas piped natural gas network is already operational and available in 132 villages in the city.
"Delhi will be the first city in the country in which every house will be provided with gas at home like tap water with the intervention of LG," the statement said.
In recent months, large scale work has been done by the DDA for the rejuvenation of Yamuna river and clean its flood plains. The construction and demolition waste dump sites on Yamuna floodplains were removed to develop recreational destinations for people such as 'Baansera' and 'Asita', it said.
The LG highlighted that the DDA has also dveloped a "beautiful" ghat on the western bank of Yamuna, which has been named 'Vasudev Ghat'. Yamuna Aarti is a big attraction at this spot which is being done in the lines of the Ganga Aarti at Banaras.
In a move to promote ease of doing business, the LG has granted exemption to 667 commercial establishments under the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954, to operate on a 24x7 basis. Applications of these establishments were pending for the last 7 to 8 years, it said.
Saxena on February 28, 2023 launched a 'single window portal' to help entrepreneurs, businessmen and start-ups in the hospitality sector in obtaining necessary licenses or getting them renewed from five departments in a fixed time frame of 49 days that earlier used to take 2-3 years, the statement added. PTI VIT
(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)