Go for all-night work: Dikshit directive for finishing CWG projects

Scrambling to complete several key projects linked to the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today ordered various agencies concerned to work "day and night" to finish works within the final deadline of August 31.

With just 71 days left for the mega sporting event and many of the key projects running behind schedule, Dikshit directed PWD, MCD, NDMC, DJB, Delhi Development Authority and several other agencies to also deploy additional workforce to complete work at the earliest.

"I have instructed the agencies to work during night also wherever it is necessary. We have already obtained permission from police for that," Dikshit said later.

Asking the agencies to strictly comply with the August 31 deadline, she told them that only plantation and carrying out finishing touches will be allowed in the month of September.

Facing the heat for unfinished projects, Dikshit, during a pep talk with PWD engineers yesterday, had asked them to "rise to the occasion" and promised to reward them with one month's salary for completing the works on time.

The city government had undertaken projects worth over Rs 10,000 crore to improve infrastructure in the capital for the sporting extravaganza. The pressure on it to complete the works has been growing with each passing day as most of the projects, including the Barapullah Nalla project, considered very important, already missing several deadlines.

The Barapullah Nalla elevated road between Sarai Kale Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the event, is being built to provide uninterrupted traffic flow from Games Village to the stadium.

The Organising Committee had earlier this month expressed its dissatisfaction over slow pace of work and requested Dikshit to complete the projects at the earliest.

In today's meeting, Dikshit also asked the agencies to remove all the construction wastes by August 10.

Dikshit told the department heads that if any digging of road and footpath was required after August 10, then the agency concerned will have to restore it in earlier form immediately.

Talking to reporters, she said main objective of the meeting was to ensure effectively coordination among various agencies and overcome obstacles coming in the way of accomplishing the projects.

The NDMC told the meeting that restoration of Connaught Place will be completed by August 31. The agency is refurbishing Connaught Place at a total cost of Rs 700 crore.

In the meeting, Traffic Police submitted a comprehensive list of pedestrian crossings. The MCD, NDMC and PWD have been told to paint the crossings at the earliest.