Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Delhi government has earmarked Rs 900 crore for village road development in its annual budget, unveiled on Monday (February 4). Finance Minister Atishi, presenting the budget in the Assembly, expressed gratitude for the support extended by the residents of Delhi’s villages towards Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“To develop better road infrastructure in the villages, this year the Kejriwal government will lay about 1,000 kilometres of roads in more than 360 villages of Delhi. This will give a great boost to the village economy. For the development of the villages of Delhi, I propose a budget of Rs 900 crore in the financial year 2024-25,” Atishi said.
1,768 crore for road and flyover projects
In its annual budget for 2024-25, the Delhi government has allocated Rs 1,768 crore for road and flyover projects across the city. Atishi emphasised the pivotal role of road infrastructure quality in driving economic growth, stating that increased government investment in roads facilitates time and cost savings for the populace.
Atishi announced that significant progress would be made in constructing several new flyovers and elevated corridors during the fiscal year. These include projects such as Barapullah Phase-III, a double decker metro flyover from Brijpuri junction through Karawal Nagar and Gonda, a flyover stretching from Nand Nagari to Gagan cinema junction, another double decker metro flyover from Rani Jhansi Road junction to Azadpur corridor, a flyover connecting Anand Vihar ROB to Apsara Border ROB, and an underpass at Outer Ring Road Mukarba Chowk.
She also highlighted that almost 80 per cent of the work on the integrated corridor between Punjabi Bagh flyover and Raja Garden flyover has been concluded.
Delhi govt to construct 6 new flyovers this year
“I am happy to share that by the end of 2024-25, six new flyovers will be dedicated to the people of Delhi. As part of the mission to improve Delhi’s roads and make it one of the best in terms of road networks in the world, I propose Rs 1,768 crore in the Budget 2024-25 for road and flyover projects in Delhi,” the minister said.
These infrastructural developments aim to enhance connectivity and ease traffic congestion for the residents of Delhi.
30 new corridors, flyovers, bridges and underpasses in last 9 years
Furthermore, Atishi highlighted the Kejriwal government’s achievement of building 30 new corridors, flyovers, bridges, and underpasses over the past nine years, aimed at improving traffic flow within the city. According to her, these infrastructural developments have not only alleviated congestion in various areas but have also notably converted formerly time-consuming routes into efficient passages that can now be crossed in mere minutes.
The minister noted that until the fiscal year 2017-18, Delhi ranked as the fourth most congested city globally. However, despite the city’s growing population and vehicle count, traffic congestion has shown a notable decline. Thanks to the implementation of extensive road, corridor, and flyover projects, Delhi has now descended to the 44th position in global congestion rankings.