Urban News

NEW DELHI: Faced with serious shortage of time, MCD has finally decided not to undertake those Games-related projects which are still to take off. According to the civic agency's own status report on Games-related projects, streetscaping on only four out of 12 roads in Civil Lines area has been completed. In Karol Bagh area, which houses a majority of affordable hotels and guesthouses, only three roads have been improved so far. And while only one of 17 railway-underbridges (RUBs) is complete, the civic agency claims installation of foot-overbridges (FOBs) was never part of its Games-related projects.

"Our work includes road widening, streetscaping, mending footpaths and beautification. But in Karol Bagh area, majority of roads are dug up for cable work which is being carried out by BSES. Besides Delhi Police also has to install CCTVs. There is shortage of time and it will not be possible to take up new work at the last moment,'' said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, MCD works committee. He said some roads in Paharganj zone, Karol Bagh zone and Delhi University will just be restored, adding that planting trees a major part of the streetscaping and beautification plan will not be carried out due to paucity of time. "To date, roads are being dug up. Even if we start planting trees 10 days from now, they will not grow. So wisdom is in only finishing the ongoing projects,'' said Mamgain. The MCD works committee, which monitors all engineering projects on weekly basis, held a meeting of senior officials on Tuesday to discuss the present status of Games-related projects.

According to the report, 12 roads were to be improved in Delhi University area around Chhatrasal Stadium and the Rugby stadium in Civil Lines area, but work on only four roads has been completed. In City zone, work on only one out of 10 roads is complete. Near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, covering of the Kushak Nullah and Sunehri Nullah for creating parking facility has been completed but improvement and strengthening of Fifth Avenue Road in front of Mehar Chand Market on Lodhi Road internal lane is incomplete. Improvement work on Bhisham Pitamah Marg, Maharishi Valmiki Marg, Dalip Singh Marg, Harshukdev Marg, Jhandu Singh Marg is on.

Of the 17 RUBs one has been completed and work on another in Vivek Vihar is nearly finished. "About 20 FOBs were to be constructed across the capital earlier but now that has been struck off the Games projects,'' said the works committee chairman.

Meanwhile, MCD commissioner K S Mehra said neither the 17 RUBs nor the FOBs were ever a part of the Games projects. "Strengthening and beautification of roads will be completed within a week after the agencies involved in digging and other works hand them over to us,'' said Mehra.