Centre To Provide Rs 700 Crore To Delhi For Road Construction, Repair

The Centre will provide the national capital Rs 700 crore for the construction, repair, maintenance and beautification of roads in Delhi, according to an official statement on Wednesday.

The decision was taken by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena.

According to the statement, the Union Minister also directed National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI) to bear the cost of repair, refurbishing and beautification of all its roads in the city, as also bear the cost being incurred in the upgradation of the stretch of road between Mahipalpur (IGI Airport) and Dhaula Kuan, which is being undertaken under the direct supervision of the LG.

"The LG thanked the Minister for this gesture," it said.

On a request by the LG that the NHAI lifts and uses the inert gathered at the 3 landfill sites in Delhi, over and above the 20 lakh tons that it had already committed to use, the Minister directed the NHAI to lift and use the entire inert for its road construction activities, the statement said.

The Minister underlined that it would help the National Capital flatten the garbage mountains that had come up in the city over decades.

"The meeting, which was called for the resolution of issues pertaining to NHAI projects like UER-II, Dwarka Expressway, Delhi-Dehradun Highway and parallel flyover at Vasant Kunj Sector C-D, had senior officials from both sides headed by Union Minister Gadkari and LG Saxena," the statement said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)