An outlay of Rs 12,952 crore for the transport sector; 5,000 additional electric buses for the Capital; Rs 500 crore to clean Yamuna, and Rs 9,000 crore to provide clean water to 3 crore people in the city — the BJP government in Delhi has allocated 23.71% of its Rs 1 lakh-crore Budget in its push for an overhaul of infrastructure, improved water supply, sanitation and addressing waterlogging in the city.
In its ‘Sankalp Patra’ (poll manifesto), the party had vowed to address issues of residents of the city, including poor road infrastructure, which led to traffic jams; scarcity of water; lack of buses, and water pollution.
Taking a potshot at the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government for “fooling the people”, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, while presenting the Budget on Tuesday, said, “There was a time when ‘Dilli ka Malik’ promised to convert Delhi into London. But those promises remained on hoardings, advertisements.”
“In the last 10 years, the condition of Delhi has been continuously deteriorating. From DTC [Delhi Transport Corporation], DUSIB [Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board], dirty water, sewer, broken roads… all these had become the face of Delhi under the previous government,” she added.
Here’s how the BJP government is eyeing an overhaul:
- With the addition of 5,000 electric buses in the financial year 2025-26, the BJP government aims to build the second-largest electric bus fleet globally in the Capital, which currently has 2,152 e-buses.
- The government has allocated Rs 500 crore for the repair and development of sewage treatment plants, Rs 250 crore for replacement of old sewer lines, and Rs 250 crore for improvement of water treatment plants.
- To address waterlogging, the government has allocated Rs 20 crore to purchase super sucker and dicky machines.
- To clean the Yamuna, the government plans to build 40 decentralised STPs so sewage water is treated at the source.
- To make Delhi safer, especially for women, the government announced plans to install 50,000 CCTVs in the city, which currently has 2.8 lakh cameras. Apart from this, the number of home guards will be increased from 10,285 to 25,000. Also, an additional 15,000 home guards will be deployed in coordination with DTC.
- The Delhi government is planning to seek financial assistance of Rs 2,000 crore from the Centre to bring Delhi’s water and sewerage infrastructure in line with international standards. Stressing that the poor drainage system has been a very serious problem in Delhi, which leads to a flood-like situation every monsoon, the government has allocated a Budget of Rs 603 crore for the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. It has also proposed a “Remodeling of Drains for Flood Control” scheme and allocated Rs 150 crore.
- To improve road infrastructure, the government has allocated a budget outlay of Rs 3,843 crore. A total of Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated to improve connectivity of Delhi with the NCR with the Centre’s support. This will be done with the help of funds available under the Central Road Fund (CRF) and Urban Development Fund. A total amount of Rs 1,400 crore has been allocated under the CM’s road development fund.
