Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and the ministers on her team hit the streets today to inspect the condition of roads in the national capital as part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's exercise to make the city pothole-free by Diwali.
"The whole cabinet of the Delhi government has been on Ground Zero since 6 am to inspect the roads and make all PWD roads in Delhi pothole-free. I have installed roads in NSIC Okhla, Modi Mill flyover, Chirag Delhi, Tughalakabad extension, Mathura Road, Ashram Chowk and underpass," Chief Minister Atishi said in a post on X.
She said the roads were in a bad state and people were facing traffic problems due to the potholes. "I have instructed officials to get the roads repaired on war footing," she said. "Under Arvind Kejriwal's guidance, our effort is to ensure Delhiites get pothole-free roads by Diwali," the Chief Minister said.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited Patparganj in east Delhi. "It has rained a lot in Delhi. So there are places where the entire road is fine, but a 50 m stretch has been damaged due to waterlogging. We discussed the matter with Arvind Kejriwal. He told us we needed to hit the streets and instruct officials and get this done on a war footing," Mr Bharadwaj told NDTV.
To a question on the message AAP's pothole-free campaign will send, considering it has been in power in Delhi for 10 years, the minister said, "This should be seen honestly. The government is saying the roads are not in good shape and must be repaired. Why is the BJP complaining? Monsoon rain is a factor behind the condition of roads. But the biggest factor is that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in jail for six months and attempts were made to stop all work in Delhi. Now he is out, he has taken charge and we have been told to get this done on a war footing. You will see results soon."
Minister Gopal Rai inspected areas in North East Delhi, including Yamuna Vihar and Wazirabad Road. Speaking to news agency PTI, "We have one objective: get all roads in Delhi fixed," he said.
Imran Hussain inspected roads in central and New Delhi, Kailash Gehlot in South West Delhi and Outer Delhi, and Mukesh Shehrawat in North West Delhi. AAP legislators have also hit the streets as part of the exercise.
Earlier, former Chief Minister Kejriwal assured Delhi residents that work halted due to his arrest would resume. "I visited DU with Atishi yesterday as well. The road was damaged. Today, we have come here. So, I would like to urge Atishi to have an assessment of all the PWD roads in Delhi in the next 3-4 days. All our MLAs and ministers will hit the road and have this assessment. Repair work on all the damaged roads will be done on a war footing in the next few months so that people do not face any problems."
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena earlier this month carried out an inspection in west Delhi and said residents were living a life worse than hell due to government neglect and administrative apathy.
"Vanished roads submerged in two-feet-deep potholes and sewer water, overflowing drains filled with silt due to lack of cleaning for years, knee-deep stinking water mixed with sewer, rotting garbage, backflowing sewer lines, hundreds of helpless people expressing their emotions and anger amidst poisonous insects and mosquitoes," he had said.
AAP hit back at the Lieutenant Governor's charge. "If not for the constant disruptions caused by the LG either directly or through the officers, the desilting and sewerage work, throughout Delhi would have been completed before the onset of monsoons in Delhi," the AAP said.
The pothole-free exercise is the first all-out governance campaign by the AAP after the Supreme Court granted bail to Mr Kejriwal in a corruption case. Days after his bail, the AAP leader made a surprise announcement to give up the Chief Minister's post and return to office only after he was elected again. Following his resignation, Atishi has taken over as the Chief Minister as AAP preps for the Assembly polls in Delhi due early next year.
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