Delhi Cabinet clears three pending projects

NEW DELHI: Within 48 hours of the landmark Supreme Court verdict, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal three pending projects of the Delhi government on Friday.

Kejriwal said he has “overruled all objections”, and approved the doorstep delivery of rations scheme. He also directed the Food and Civil Supplies Department to immediately implement the plan.

Moreover, the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), in a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, cleared two other projects – releasing the final installment for construction of the Signature Bridge, and construction of academic and hostel blocks of the Delhi Technical University.

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had earlier objected to the ambitious doorstep delivery of rations proposal and asked the Aam Aadmi Partyled dispensation to consult the Centre before executing it.

On Wednesday evening, the matter was taken up by Kejriwal at a Cabinet meeting, hours after the apex court pronounced that the LG’S approval was not needed in issues that were not linked to land, police and public order.

On his official Twitter handle, the CM posted “Del govt approves final instalment of Signature Bridge. There shud now be no more obstacles. It shud be ready by October.”

The Signature Bridge project was approved in 1997, after an accident on the narrow Wazirabad bridge wherein a school bus fell into the Yamuna killed 22 children.

After missing multiple deadlines over several years due to inadequate funds, the bridge is likely to open in October.

The project’s cost rose from an initial Rs 1,100 crore to Rs 1,575 crore, and had become a major cause of concern for the Public Works Department (PWD).

So far, the PWD has released Rs 1,244 crore.

“Chaired Expenditure finance-comittee meeting. Two major projects cleared - 1. Final installment for Signature Bridge. Now it would be completed by Oct’18. 2. Two new academic blocks and 3 new hostels in Delhi Technical UNIV(DTU). This would add approx 3000 more students to DTU,” Sisodia tweeted on Friday.

The Delhi government also withdrew the permission granted to the NBCC for tree felling for redevelopment of three projects at Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar and East Kidwai Nagar.

Delhi Environment minister Imran Hussain said he had received the file, which was sent to the LG on Tuesday, in which the minister had strongly recommended revocation of the permission to the NBCC.

The LG accorded his approval to the minister’s recommendation, in accordance with the provisions of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

Recently, the Centre had given approval for the felling of over 16,000 trees in south Delhi, which invited the wrath of residents of the city.