Secretary blamed for Barapullah-ii delay

NEW DELHI: The Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi has blamed Ashwani Kumar, principal secretary, public works department (PWD), for the delay in completing Phase-iii of the Barapullah elevated road .

Submitting a report to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, DDC vice-chairman Ashish Khetan said the corridor would take at least three to five more years due to Kumar’s alleged “lack of leadership.”

“During the past 14 months, Ashwani Kumar, first as secretary PWD and then as principal secretary PWD, could not demonstrate any tangible progress or outcome relating to acquisition of this land. Kumar displayed lack of leadership in guiding his departmental officers as to the course of action that could expe- dite completion of this project,” the report, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, stated.

Work started in April 2015, and was to be completed by the end of this month. But the target was pushed by another five months.

The report said the delay was due to a land parcel of 8.5 acres, which the secretary failed to acquire due to “lack of inaction”.

Khaitan recommended “suitable action” to “recognise, rejuvenate” the functioning of PWD .

Kumar said: “I have not yet seen the report. But going by what you are saying, the report seems motivated and betrays complete ignorance of the land acquisition matter.”

He explained that land acquisition was not done by the PWD secretary but by the revenue department. “Land availability has to be insured before the project starts and it was the revenue department’s task,” Kumar said.