MCD refusing completion certificate for Karni Singh Stadium

With the Commonwealth Games just two months away, MCD is refusing approval to issue completion certificate for the shooting venue of the mega event due to a pending proposal for widening the road leading to it.

A proposal regarding layout plan of the Karni Singh Stadium in Tughlakabad was postponed by a meeting of the MCD Standing Committee today after the area councillor raised objections. The MCD has already completed dense-carpeting of the existing road leading to the venue.

Councillor Sarita Chaudhary had been demanding that the widening of the road also be done along with the improvement, but MCD officials argue that this will involve cutting of trees and a prolonged procedural delay.

"According to the master plan of Delhi, the road should be 60 m wide. They have now improved only the existing road which is 10 metres wide. Road widening is important as it will help ease the traffic congestion in the area. If they cannot widen now, they should at least demarcate the area so that the road can be expanded to 60 m later," she said.

The Standing Committee today refused to approve the layout plan. "We will not approve it till the issue of road widening is resolved," Chaudhary said.

MCD officials insist that the area where road widening is being proposed by the councillor is part of the southern ridge. "It will take a lot of time to get clearance related to the Indian Forest Act as the road widening will involve felling at least 1,000 trees," said a senior MCD official.

Chaudhary said, "It is not that trees were not cut for any Games projects in Delhi. If we cut some trees, we can plant double the number. But traffic situation is very bad on the stretch and widening of the road is quite important. I have been raising this issue for the last so many years but nothing is being done," she said.