New Delhi: Though the Delhi government has
set a July 15 deadline to MCD to complete all its Commonwealth
Games-related tasks, 40 to 45 per cent work still remains to
be carried out in several of the projects.
A project which the MCD is describing as near-complete
is the development of bus parking for athletes near the main
Games venue -- Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium -- after covering
Sunhari, Kushak and DPS Nallahs. About 95 per cent work is
over in the project, officials said.
A look at the status of improvement of roads near the
stadia shows that the progress of work in Bhishma Pitamah
Marg is 75 per cent and widening and improvement of connecting
road from 5th Avenue to JLN stadium is 98 per cent over, but
45 per cent work is left in improvement and strengthening of
5th Avenue road from India Habitat Centre to Kushak Nallah.
In streetscaping projects near another venue, Thyagraj
Stadium, work on one road has been completed and is 80 per
cent over in another but 40 per cent work remains to be done
in improvement of Dilip Singh Marg at Siri Fort Complex,
officials said.
On Games projects of university area, they said
progress of improvement of Guru Teg Bahadur road is 53 per
cent, that of University road and Roshanara Road is 58 per
cent and of Boulevard Road from Bhagwan Dass Chowk to St
Stephens` hospital is only 35 per cent.
The MCD had earlier this week admitted that it will
miss the June 30 deadline set by it for completion of Games
projects and extended the same to July 31.
MCD Commissioner K S Mehra had said though the
officials involved in the project have exuded confidence that
all work will be completed by July 15, the deadline is being
extended by 15 more days to ensure that no work remains left
over.
However, in a high-level meeting to review status of
projects on July 2, Finance Minister A K Walia directed the
MCD to complete all the projects by July 15 and ensure quality
and standard of work.
The civic body has said streetscaping works in some
roads are being delayed as agencies like MTNL and NDPL will
undertake laying of cables there and asserted that after their
work is over, streetscaping will be completed in 10 days.
During the meeting, MCD officials informed Walia that
it has already completed road improvement projects around
prominent hotels and guest houses in Karol Bagh and Paharganj.
This includes renovation of footpath, dense carpeting,
widening of lanes, construction of central verge and drainage.
MCD Works Committee Chairman Jagdish Mamgain said
regular and close monitoring are being done to speed up work
of Games projects.
He said delay in completion of Games projects will be
viewed seriously and work will be done on war-footing by
arranging more resources.
PTI
