Walia puts transport in top gear

Delivering the budget address,Finance Minister AK Walia said a new SPV will be set up for the purpose under the Delhi Companies Act 1956. To promote public transport and discourage use of private vehicles,Walia said the DTC would introduce a special non-stop bus service on 50 important routes in the Capital. “To improve the quality of public transport,we have decided to modernise the DTC fleet with the addition of low-floor buses costing Rs 2,019 crore. Nearly 2,300 low-floor AC buses have already been added and 1,475 more buses are likely to be added by August 2010,” he said.

The DTC is expected to look after operations and management of the bus fleet and their routes.

Work on the much-delayed Rs 1,131-crore Signature Bridge will begin shortly and work on approach roads for the bridge,including flyover on Outer Ring Road at Wazirabad is already in progress,he added. Walia said Global Positioning System-based automatic vehicle tracking and monitoring system is being launched to ensure quality service and make the system reliable and commuter friendly.

The Finance Minister said the steps are essential to meet the requirement of the city’s growing population and Rs 675 crore is being proposed for the purchase of new buses in annual plan 2010-11.

The Centre has approved 29 projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for Delhi,which includes 13 projects of roads and flyovers by the PWD,11 projects of roads and flyovers by MCD and three projects of DJB and the redevelopment of Connaught Place by NDMC. “Total cost of these projects is Rs 9,424 crore. Rs 2,800 crore will be contributed by the Centre as its share and remaining will be borne by the Delhi government,” Walia said.

Flyovers,roads and elevated corridors,which are under construction across the city,will be completed as per schedule before the Commonwealth Games. New parking sites are also being developed and will be completed before the event.

The budget also proposed an annual plan of Rs 1,260 crore for the Delhi Metro. Walia assured the House that remaining corridors of the Delhi Metro being constructed under Phase-II will be thrown open to the public by September. While five corridors of the Metro have been made functional, the Inderlok-Mundka line,country’s first standard gauge corridor,will be thrown open shortly. “Work on all other remaining corridors — New Delhi Station-Delhi Airport,Central Secretariat-Badarpur,Central Secretariat-Qutub Minar — is progressing as per schedule and will be completed by September before the Games,” he said. The Delhi Government has invested Rs 1,716 crore on Delhi Metro Phase-I and Rs 4,439 crore on Phase-II,including Rs 1,260 crore proposed for Annual Plan 2010-11.

He also said the government has received Rs 2,700 crore from the Centre for the Commonwealth Games so far.

MLAs strive for their share of fame on Budget day

With Budget day being one of the few days when TV cameras are allowed in the Delhi Assembly,ruling party MLAs were seen wanting to grab as much footage as possible. MLAs like Niraj Basoya,Anil Chowdhary and Arvinder Singh Lovely sat directly behind Finance Minister A K Walia,who was presenting the Budget.

Their on-air fame,however,was short-lived,as they had to beat a hasty retreat to their designated seats after being told to do so by Speaker Yoganand Shastri. The anomaly was brought to the notice of the Speaker by BJP’s chief whip Sahab Singh Chauhan,who picked up the rule book to show that MLAs have to occupy only their designated seats.

Shastri had another tough task on his hand when he tried to calm Chauhan,who made comments regarding the Budget. At one point,the Speaker even enquired whether Chauhan had a “scorpion on his seat” that was forcing him to keep standing and shouting.

10 per cent of Budget to be spent on Education sector
The government will spend Rs 1,122 crore on education sector — 10 per cent of the total Budget. The government announced construction of 17 school buildings,which will start in this financial year. Eight new school buildings and 1,000 classrooms have already been constructed by the Education department.
The government has also announced an increase in subsidy for school uniforms. The schoolchildren of MCD primary schools will get Rs 500 per annum for school uniforms,as compared to Rs 200 being given till now. For students of Class VI to XII,the amount has been increased to Rs 700 for the Delhi government and government-aided schools.
The scheme will cost the government Rs 156 crore and will benefit 26 lakh students. The number of seats will be increased in the Delhi Technological University — 410 additional seats at graduation level and 60 more at post-graduation level.
To increase the intake of students at technical and higher education institutions affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,second shift in 16 institutions has been announced.

Rs 1,243 crore proposed for health sector
* A 500-bed ward block at GTB Hospital is nearing completion and will be functional by next year.
* Three 200-bed hospitals to come up in Vikaspuri,Burari and Ambedkar Nagar and a 750-bed hospital in Dwarka in PPP mode.
* Indoor services in Delhi State Cancer Institute to start in two months.
* Contruction of Orthopaedic Block in LNJP almost complete.
* New referral block at GB Pant hospital nearly complete,increasing its bed capacity from 600 to 700.

Rs 1,500 crore allotted to improve water supply
To meet the growing demand for water,the government has allotted nearly Rs 1,500 crore for improvement of water supply and sanitation services in Delhi. This constuitutes about 13 per cent of the total budget. Outlining the projects for this year,Walia said the construction of the Pucca Parallel Channel from Munak to Haiderpur is near completion at an estimated cost of Rs 315 crore. Under the Yamuna Action Plan II,rehabilitation of trunk sewers on the Ring Road and Bela Road,laying of a new trunk sewer line along the Wazirabad Road and renovation of the Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant are being carried out.

‘Delhi to be a power-surplus state in 2010-11’
Finance Minister A K Walia said Delhi will be a power- surplus state in 2010-11. An amount of Rs 110.80 crore has been allotted for the power sector this year. Three units of the Bawana Power Plant generating 750 MW will be commissioned by Septemebr 2010 and the remaining three by March 2011. Nearly 500 MW will be made available to Delhi by October 2010 from the Jhajhar Power Plant. Walia said the distribution companies have managed to bring down the AT&C losses from more than 50 per cent in 2002 to about 20 per cent in 2008-09. The DERC has fixed the target for AT&C losses to be brought down by 17 per cent by BRPL and NDPL and 20 per cent by BYPL by next financial year.

8,000 flats for displaced slum dwellers
AK Walia,also the Urban Development Minister of Delhi,said 8,000 flats constructed for the economically weaker sections under the JNNURM scheme,will be allotted to those relocated from the slum and JJ clusters. In addition,7,000 flats are being constructed at Barpulla,Bawana and Ghogha. Of the 1,639 unauthorised colonies that were up for regularisation,layout plans for 700 have been sent to the MCD for clearance. Walia added that roads and drains have been constructed in 1,033 colonies,piped water supply has been provided in 726 colonies and streetlights in 1,174 colonies. The MCD has aleady been alotted Rs 60 crore per annum for sanitation services. While the government has already spent Rs 2,851 crore,Rs 749 crore has been proposed for 2010-11,he said.

More funds for Social Welfare department
Number of people availing old age pension has been increased from 2.5 lakh to 3.5 lakh. At present,pension holders are paid Rs 1,000 per month as allowance. The government will now spend Rs 420 crores on pension annually. The government will spend Rs 476.50 crore on social welfare — little over four per cent of the total Budget. Allocation for the Ladli scheme has been increased from Rs 86 crore to Rs 103 crore.

Stamp paper cost increased
The maximum rate of a stamp paper has been increased to Rs 500. This will increase revenue collection from Rs 1 crore to Rs 6 crore annually.