CM okays ₹1,025-cr budget for GMDA

GURUGRAM: Chairing the second meeting of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Thursday, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar approved its first budget of ₹1,025 crore. Khattar said that the GMDA will earn its revenue from external development charges (EDC) and other cess.

The chief minister said several issues related to the city’s development were discussed during the meeting. These included widening of roads, construction of flyovers, hospitals and opening dedicated bus routes and shelters for residents.

“The GMDA is a new body and it is doing well in terms of taking Gurugram’s development plans forward. While the GMDA has planned to boost the city’s water supply, the MCG (Municipal Corporation of Gurugram) has planned to set up a waste-to-energy treatment plant (at Bandhwari). Several other development projects are in the works,” the chief minister said.

The CM announced a string of projects, including a flyover over at Atul Katria Chowk and widening of existing two-lane road between Umang Bharadwaj Chowk and Dwarka Expressway via Basai flyover, into a six-lane one at a combined cost of ₹110 crore.

“The six-lane road will facilitate hassle-free commuting between Dwarka Expressway and the main city. The tender for the project will be invited by April 30. The foundation stone for the flyover at Atul Kataria Chowk will be laid on May 15. It will be built at a cost of ₹81.38 crore and is part of a plan to decongest the chowk and Old Delhi Road between Mahavir Chowk and Kapashera border,” Khattar said.

“A committee under Umesh Aggarwal (Gurgaon MLA) has been appointed to plan a project to decongest Mahavir Chowk as well,” Khattar said, adding that a multispecialty hospital will be built in Sector 67 on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Rao Inderjit Singh, Union minister of state (MoS) , Rao Narbir Singh, state PWD minister, Kavita Jain, state minister for art and culture were among others present in the GMDA meeting.