Indian Express 09.08.2010
No money to build new gates for city, says civic body
Ayesha Arvind Tags : struggling games projects , corporation Posted: Mon Aug 09 2010, 02:39 hrs
New Delhi: The latest entrant in the list of struggling Games projects is the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Rs 10-crore plan to construct ‘aesthetic gates’ at the seven entry points to the Capital in time for the event.Less than a month after the Organising Committee directed the MCD to “beautify Delhi into a Sports City” by “sprucing up entry points to the city, installing gates and putting up Games logos and banners in various areas”, the Corporation has expressed its inability to construct the gates ,claiming that it has no funds.
Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney has now claimed that while the MCD received around Rs 1,373 crore from the state for many other Games projects, the MCD has not got funds specifically earmarked for the gates.
The ‘border gates’ were to come up at the G T Road Shahdara (Apsara Border), Ghazipur, Kalindi Kunj, Badarpur, Aya Nagar, Rajokri and Kapashera. The MCD was to “modernise and beautify these entry points” and then erect the gates.
“The entry points are the first impression for tourists and others coming to the National Capital Territory. Generally, these points are given the least importance, being at the periphery, and thus these present a very shabby picture. It is therefore proposed to beautify the area around the entry points so as to create proper infrastructure in time for the Games,” an official said.
According to officials, while MCD’s plan has hit a roadblock, the Public Works Department — which already has plans to beautify the five entry points under its jurisdiction including the National Highway-1 and Singhu border — is likely to install these Gates. Earlier, the PWD also wanted to construct a memorial on Delhi history near NH-1. The same, however, will not be done before the Games.
