NEW DELHI: With the election period model code of conduct kicking in, ongoing projects of the Public Works Department, Delhi Jal Board and Municipal Corporation of Delhi are likely to slow down. Among works to be affected are a bus terminal, water treatment plant, road repairs and parking facilities.
The Okhla sewage treatment plant, constructed jointly by the central and state govts and which is 98% ready, for instance, cannot be commissioned. This 124 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant has already been delayed by a year and its inauguration is likely soon now.
While road repair work announced by the state govt in Oct last year will continue on stretches for which tenders were floated, mega projects like the repair of Outer Ring Road are yet to be taken up. “No new sanction or tender will be floated because polls have been announced,” said a PWD official. “Work on projects for which contracts haven’t been awarded will also come to a halt for now.”
The development of a corridor near Indira Gandhi International Airport and the plan to construct a mega integrated children’s home at Alipur under the department of women and child development are likely to begin only after the assembly polls. Stuck in bureaucratic hurdles, the water bill settlement scheme, under which recipients of inflated domestic water bills have been offered a waiver, can also only be launched post-polls.
Progress on MCD’s long-pending multi-level parking projects at four busy locations -Rajendra Place, Rani Bagh, Shastri Park and Idgah – will also be affected. In April, the civic body attempted to give a fresh push to three projects by hiring a consultant to prepare a detailed project report and draft the tender document. But with no decision taken on hiring a consultant, any progress will be stalled.
New Delhi Municipal Council’s plan to redevelop the Shivaji Bus Terminal will also see a slowdown. The council recently revised the plan. The project, conceived about six years ago, aims to transform the facility into a commercial complex-cum-bus terminal, but the plan hasn’t yet been finalised nor work started. Recently, NDMC decided to re-invite tenders after adding some features of international standards.
Expecting the commencement of work on the creation of a 9km cycling route between New Moti Bagh and South Block-Udyog Bhawan, NDMC had approved the budget estimates and was awaiting approvals of the planning and finance departments. “After their nod, the plan would have been placed for final approval and budget sanctioning,” an official had said. NDMC has estimated the cost of the project at Rs 11 crore.
