The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi to get 100 flyovers, 10,000 low-floor buses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi to get 100 flyovers, 10,000 low-floor buses

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said the Capital’s public transport system would undergo a sea change in the months ahead with a hundred new flyovers, 272 km of metro railway line and 10,000 low-floor buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation fleet to be commissioned ahead of the Commonwealth Games-2010.

“The Public Works Department will spend Rs. 4,000 crore on projects relating to the Commonwealth Games. Delhi will also have streetlights of international standards and the PWD-maintained roads would be repaired well before Diwali,” said Ms. Dikshit, after laying the foundation stone of a grade separator at Apsara border, a flyover on Road No.56 and up-gradation of streetlights on PWD roads of Delhi through video conferencing at Delhi Secretariat.

Stating that her Government would deploy around 10,000 new buses including modern low-floor buses within two years to bring about a dramatic change in the transport scenario in Delhi, the Chief Minister said 20 per cent of the buses would be air-conditioned.

“The buses would provide comfortable intra-city journey. This would also discourage residents from using their private vehicles,” said Ms. Dikshit, adding that all stakeholders must work in tandem and ensure completion of projects well within the stipulated period.

Stating that the State Government was committed to ensuring smooth flow of traffic on the roads, Ms. Dikshit said the grade separator at the Apsara border would cost around Rs.226.47 crore, whereas another grade separator at T-junction Road No.56-57 near Anand Vihar Inter-State Bus Terminus would cost around Rs.123.44 crore.

“The grade separators are being constructed to provide free flow of traffic. Both these grade separators would be commissioned within two years. The new infrastructure would also provide free flow of traffic to the Yamuna Sports Complex that is one of the venues of Commonwealth events,” said Ms. Dikshit.

The Chief Minister informed that one agency had been fixed for the flyover project at the Apsara border. “A part of the flyover falls in the Uttar Pradesh area. Working permission has already been received from the UP Government for executing the work. Road No.56 is the dividing road between Delhi and UP and densely habited on both sides. There is heavy traffic movement on Road No.56.” Revealing that a scheme had been prepared for upgrading the streetlights on the PWD roads, Ms. Dikshit said streetlight illumination levels of international standards were proposed at a cost of Rs.198 crore. PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Sandeep Dikshit, MP, many MLAs and officials of the Delhi Government were among those present.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi