In a surprise move, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union Minister Harsh Vardhan praised former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for initiating the Azadpur-Prembari Pul elevated corridor, which was inaugurated by the Delhi Government on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Jahangirpuri-Samaypur Badli corridor of the Delhi Metro was formally flagged off for passenger services on Tuesday by Arvind Kejriwal and Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government has claimed to have saved `102 crore in the Azadpur-Prembari Pul elevated corridor project due to lowering of cement and steel prices apart from saving 28 per cent due to change in technology used in the project and six per cent in the bidding process. The 1.6-km elevated corridor will decongest areas like Ashok Vihar, Shalimar Bagh and Wazirpur and allow unhindered traffic flow along the entire 44-km-long Ring Road.
The AAP Government has completed the construction at an actual cost of `147 crore as against a sanctioned outlay of `247.17 crore. The Sheila Dikshit Government had initiated the project in 2013. “The entire credit for initiating the Azadpur-Prembari Pul elevated corridor goes to Dikshit. When we took over the Government, only 20-30 per cent of the work on this project was completed but, in the last eight months, we have completed the remaining works and will do the same for other projects as well,” Kejriwal said.
Vardhan, a former Delhi BJP president and Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, too, praised Dikshit, who was at the helm in Delhi for 15 years, saying, “we should not engage in politics over development works.”
Referring to Dikshit, he said that “there should be no politics over developmental works for the sake of Delhi”. Kejriwal, meanwhile, claimed it was the first time that a project whose sanctioned cost was `250 crore was completed at an actual cost of `147 crore.
This was the first occasion when the AAP and BJP hailed Dikshit for her contributions towards making Delhi a world-class city.
“I think this is for the first time that a flyover, whose sanctioned cost was Rs 250 crore, has been built at an actual cost of Rs 147 crore. We have heard till now that a project with a sanctioned cost of Rs 250 crore was constructed at a cost of Rs 500 crore. We will now build two flyovers at a cost at which only one flyover was earlier constructed. We will not waste the taxpayers’ money,” he added.
A senior PWD official said that with the inauguration of the Azadpur-Prembari Pul elevated corridor, 7,665 kilolitres of fuel will be saved every year. Besides, an individual would save 12 minutes per day and 15,000 tonnes CO2 emission can also be reduced annually.
“The newly-inaugurated flyover will also reduce the noise level by around 16 decibels as per CRRI certification, solving a long-standing issue for the occupants of adjacent buildings. The latest technology of groundwater recharging with recycled polypropylene modular structure has been implemented in this project,” the official also said.
The elevated corridor will bypass three traffic intersections, at Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar and Fire Station on Ring Road. The corridor will reduce traffic congestion on Ring Road at Shalimar Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Pitampura, Wazirpur Industrial Area and Azadpur.
Meanwhile, the Jahangirpuri - Samaypur Badli Metro corridor of the Delhi Metro was formally flagged off for passenger services on Tuesday by Kejriwal and Naidu.
Inaugurating the new extension of the Yellow line, both the Chief Minister and the Union Urban Development Minister emphasised on the need to work together as “team India.”
Pointing out the problem of over-crowded trains being faced by commuters, Kejriwal said during a function at Metro Bhawan: “The crowd is going up every year resulting in a major section preferring other means of travel over the metro. But the real success of the metro is achieved when a person prefers to use the metro instead of his car. The middle class and even the upper middle class had started using the metro. But due to the crowds, the metro is no longer comfortable. It is turning into locals of Mumbai where you are pushed in and out of coaches by the crowd.”
Urging people to use public transport, Naidu said, “Going back to cars should not be allowed. I will be suggesting this to the DMRC and also hold a review meeting with them. They will be going for additional coaches and increasing the frequency as well so that more coaches and more trips are there and people can be accommodated.”
The 4.373 km-long elevated corridor will be an extension of the already operational Yellow line from HUDA City Centre to Jahangirpuri. Close to 29,000 additional commuters are expected to use this new section comprising of three new stations.