Eye on Commonwealth, Delhi govt enhances budgetary allocation

Racing against time to complete Commonwealth Games-related works, Delhi government today enhanced its budgetary allocations by Rs2,723 crore to Rs25,760 crore to meet funds shortage for projects such as roads, infrastructure and buses in the city.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting chaired by chief minister Sheila Dikshit here.

"The government has decided to enhance its plan outlay from Rs10,000 crore to Rs11,300 crore in revised estimates for the fiscal year 2009-2010 whereas total budgetary provision for the current year will go up from Rs23,043 crore to Rs25,760 crore.

"There will be an increase of Rs1,408 crore in non-plan outlay and an increase of Rs9 crore in centrally-sponsored projects," finance minister AK Walia told reporters.

He said that an amount of Rs 800 crore alone has been increased under the head of roads and bridges, which includes construction of flyovers, bridges and widening and improvement of roads particularly relating to the Commonwealth Games.

As per the decision, plan outlay for the PWD has been increased from Rs1471 crore to Rs1975 crore and for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

"The allocation for the DTC has been increased from Rs340 crore to Rs619 crore to enable it to purchase more new buses. Similarly, the outlay of the DJB has also gone up by Rs227 crore — from Rs1,365 crore to Rs1,592 crore," Walia said.

All venues being built for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi are supposed to be completed by March 31, but so far
only Dhyanchand Hockey Statdium has been completed.

Moreover, there are many other infrastructural projects such as roads, bridges as well transport services which are yet to be readied even though merely eight months are left for the mega multiple-sport event in the capital.