Roads, transport drive away with lion’s share

Thanks to the upcoming Commonwealth Games, transport and road infrastructure remains a top priority area for Delhi government.

The sector has received a whopping 38 per cent of the total outlay in the government’s 2010-11 annual plan.

The capital will get 3,775 sleek low-floor buses at a cost of Rs 2,019 crore by the time the Commonwealth Games begin in October.

About 2,300 low-floor AC and non-AC buses have already been added and 1,475 more buses are likely to be added by August 2010. The government has sanctioned Rs 675 crore to buy new buses in the budget.

To wean away people from private modes of transport, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is going to introduce a special non-stop service on 50 busy routes.

The government will also launch a GPS-based automatic vehicle tracking and monitoring system to start an ‘online bus information system’.

Expansion of the city's lifeline, Delhi Metro, is being aided with the allocation of Rs 1,260 crore in the budget.

Five corridors of Delhi Metro’s Phase II are functional. The sixth corridor, between Inderlok and Mundka, will start operation soon.

Work on other corridors such as the Airport Express link are on schedule. The Delhi government is investing Rs 4,439 on Metro’s Phase II expansion.

The epithet of ‘city of flyovers’ that Delhi has earned is justified by the completion of flyovers and road over-bridges (ROBs) in Mukerba Chowk, Bahera Enclave, RR Kohli Marg, Shastri Nagar pushta, ITO chungi, Nelson Mandela Marg, Rao Tula Ram Marg and Aruna Asaf Ali-IIT gate. The flyovers at Azadpur and Naraina are nearing completion.

The government has invested Rs 5,646 crore on 26 flyovers, ROBs and road under-bridges being constructed by the Public Works Department.

Elevated corridors at Barapulla Nallah, Ring Road by-pass from Salimgarh fort to Indira Gandhi stadium, a bridge at Neela Hauz, a flyover at NH-24 bypass near Gazipur and a flyover at Shyamlal College will also be completed before September 2010.

Additional parking sites are being built over drains such as Kushak nallah, Sunehri Bagh nallah, DPS Mathura Road nallah and the ash pond of IP station near Ring Road. The projects, to be completed before the Games, will cost Rs 473 crore.

There’s something for pedestrians too. A total of 26 foot over-bridges, apart from the 31 that have already been built by PWD, are set to come up this year.

“When there is a good amount of budget allocated to transport, it’s a good sign,” said P.K. Sarkar, Head of Transport Planning Department, School of Planning and Architecture.

“The government should aim at comprehensive mobility so that all sections of people are benefited,” he said.

“At present, less than 50 per cent of all trips in Delhi are covered by public transport. The figure should be at least 75 per cent. The reliability of public transport has to grow,” he added.

The government has decided to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to develop and maintain ISBTs, bus depots and bus shelters so that DTC can concentrate only on bus operations.

The streets of the capital will also be beautified for the Commonwealth Games, with Rs 198 crore allocated for street lights on PWD roads.

This is apart from the Rs 83 crore given to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for new streetlights on major roads.

About 50 lakh potted plants will be used to beautify major intersections and space along all major roads leading to Games venues at a cost of Rs 35 crore.