Delhi boasts of very wide roads but they don’t meet international standards of quality; Delhi Government is doing its best to overcome challenges and deliver splendid roads: CM Arvind Kejriwal
We are redeveloping more than 500 kms of Delhi’s roads according to European Standards; took stock of progress of one of the stretches today: CM Arvind Kejriwal
There is ample scope for improvement which the Delhi Government will work on to beautify Delhi’s roads and make commute a bliss for Delhiites: CM Arvind Kejriwal
Road beautification pilot project going in full swing on all 16 stretches; work will be completed by September-October: CM Arvind Kejriwal
After completion of pilot project, the best model will be chosen and applied to the 500 kms across Delhi to redesign them at par with European standards: CM Arvind Kejriwal
NEW DELHI:
The Kejriwal Government has accelerated the redevelopment of Delhi’s roads as per European Standards. Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal inspected the pilot stretch developed from Britannia Chowk to Outer Ring Road today, where he said, “Delhi boasts of very wide roads but they don’t meet international standards of quality. Hence, the Delhi Government is doing its best to overcome the various challenges and deliver splendid roads for the people of Delhi. We are redeveloping more than 500 kms of Delhi’s roads according to European Standards, for which I took stock of the progress of one of the stretches today. There is ample scope for improvement which the Delhi Government will work on in order to beautify Delhi’s roads and make commuting a bliss for Delhiites. Road beautification pilot project is going in full swing on all 16 stretches, and the work on these will be completed by September-October. After completion of the pilot project, the best model will be chosen and applied to the 500 kms across Delhi to redesign them at par with European standards.”
Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal visited the Britannia Chowk stretch in Pitampura today to inspect the redevelopment of roads being done on European Standards in Delhi. The CM was accompanied by Deputy CM Shri Manish Sisodia, who holds the PWD portfolio, during the visit along with senior officials of the concerned departments. The stretch being redeveloped runs for a total of 5 kms from Britannia Chowk to Outer Ring Road, West Enclave, Pitampura. Of this a total of 2kms has been redeveloped as part of the pilot.
Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “We have conducted a thorough inspection of a stretch of this road here today. As you all know, our government is committed to beautifying all of Delhi’s roads. Being the capital of the country, Delhi deserves the most spectacularly built, and well developed roadways. When we travel to other countries – to places like London, Tokyo, New York, Washington, or any European city we see how beautifully and magnificently they are developed. Our roads are wide, and well-paved, but they are still not at par with the international standards, so to speak. Hence, our aim is to raise the quality of roads in Delhi to these standards, and make them more appealing and efficient to travel on. In this vein, as a part of the first phase of the beautification of roads, we have made it our priority to properly develop and beautify 500 km of PWD roads, the pilot project for which is already in progress. The stretch that we have inspected today is one of 16 such stretches which are a part of this pilot project, and are expected to be completed by the months of September-October. After the work on the pilot project is completed, we will take stock of all the models, and accordingly decide which one should be applied for all 500 kms across Delhi. Hence, we inspected the progress of the pilot project at this stretch in Pitampura today, which has its own set of merits as well as drawbacks, and a detailed plan of the same was discussed with officers today, so that required improvements can be made. All 16 models are different, and will be inspected once the work on them is completed. We will then take the best qualities of these models in order to develop the 500 kms of PWD roads. I believe that there is immense scope for improvement in the horticulture department, given the current quality of the tree plantation drive. We will work on enhancing these, it is no rocket science, and we have extremely competent and talented engineers in our PWD Department. We will hence make Delhi’s roads extremely beautiful and magnificent.”
Speaking with the officers on site, the CM inquired about the length and facilities of the road being inspected. PWD officials briefed CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal in detail about the progress of the road being made beautiful by redesigning it on European standards. One of the officers informed the CM that the stretch is 5.2 kilometres long out of which work has been completed on two kilometres and the progress is on in full swing for the remaining part of the stretch. The officials said that the road consists of a footpath and a cycling track on one side, and a service lane on the other. All the trees have been designed along the stretch and small saplings have been planted, while adequate space has been provided for pedestrians and road users to sit and rest. The rest of the work, which was yet to be completed, included horticulture and landscaping.CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal expressed his dissatisfaction with the quality of the plants planted along the roadside and on the central verge. In many places, the plants planted on the central verge are located quite far apart, and they are also quite small. Trees, according to the CM, should be planted in the same way that dense plants are planted along European roads and on the Central Verge. He encouraged improvement in horticulture, especially the height and quality of the tree plantations, and to make them more dense. He asked the officials to plant taller and denser saplings along the roadside and on the central verge to make it more visually appealing. At the same time, on one side of this stretch, there is a large wall. Given that the road runs along an ordnance factory, the height of the roadside hedges has been kept short. Deputy CM Shri Manish Sisodia suggested that the Delhi Government speak with the factory in-charge and take it upon itself to beautify as well as maintain the entire region, including the ordnance factory landscape at its own cost to make the space more appealing. He advised the officials to have beautiful paintings created on the wall. The officers also shared proposed plans for the redevelopment of Anukampa Chowk, as well as showed a comparison of old versus new and developed views of the completed areas.
The following seven roads are being beautified under the pilot project:
- Ring Road From Mayapuri to Moti Bagh Jn.
- Ring Road from AIIMS to Ashram
- Vikas Marg-Laxmi Nagar Chungi to Karkari More
- Narwana Road-Mother Dairy to Punch Mahal Niwas
- Britannia Chowk to Outer Ring Road, West Enclave, Pitampura
- Wazirpur Depot Crossing (NSP) to Rithala Metro Station
- Shivdaspuri Marg and Patel Road (from Moti Nagar T-Point to Pusa Road about)
Roads will also present a glimpse of patriotism along with modernity
Roads in Delhi that are being developed along European lines will represent patriotism alongside modernity, so that when someone passes through these routes, a sense of patriotism will be elicited alongside appreciation for modernity. Along the road, statues of freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh and Rani Laxmi Bai have been constructed to instil a strong feeling of nationalism in people. Two fountains, artwork on FOB, a sand stone bench, a Buddha statue, a state-of-the-art info board, steel elements, and sand stone art work have also been completed. On one side of the road, a path for bikes and a footpath have been constructed.
Delhi’s roads will be as splendid as those in developed countries
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has envisaged redesigning the roads of Delhi so that the roads of the national capital also look as splendid and beautiful as the capitals of developed nations across the world. In November 2019, CM Arvind Kejriwal approved the redesign of some roads under the jurisdiction of the PWD. As part of this, the Delhi Government has decided to build 100-foot-wide, 540-kilometre-long roads in the style of European cities. Currently, 7 Delhi roads have been approved for re-design as part of the pilot project.
Remodelling of roads will put an end to several problems
Redesigning and remodelling of the roads will eliminate bottlenecks. At present, a four lane road turns into a three lane one or a six lane road to a four lane one, causing severe traffic congestion. After the redesigning of roads, this problem will end and the road will look uniformly wide, thereby eliminating the problem of traffic. By eliminating the space on the side of the road or adjacent roads, that space will be used well. Pavement space for non-motor vehicles will also be created. A footpath measuring a minimum of 5 feet in width will be increased to 10 feet. The footpath will be designed according to the convenience of the differently-abled, so that the road looks uniform and the differently-abled do not face any hurdles in their way.
The amount of greenery along the roads will be increased
Along the roads in Delhi, the greenery is relatively less. After the roads are redesigned, there will be space for planting trees on the sidewalks as well as increasing the green belt. Auto and e-rickshaw will be given their own space and stands. The road slopes and drains will be redesigned and rebuilt. Inside the drains, re-harvesting systems will be installed. Road slopes will be adjusted so that rainwater can be recharged in the ground. There will be no open space on the road, street furniture will be installed, and junctions will be fixed. The roadside grass or trees will be planted, and the roads will be resurfaced.
Dust pollution will be eliminated by planting grass along the roads
After the roads are redesigned, not an inch of land will be left vacant around the road where there is no grass, ensuring that there is no pollution from dust on the road. Right now, there is a problem with dust flying on the roads, which is causing dust pollution. Green belts or grass will be planted on vacant land along the road, making the roads more visually appealing and reducing dust pollution.
Following plants will be installed on the roads being built under the pilot project
The tourism department will plant topiary group saplings on roads being built along European lines. The majority of the plants in this topiary group produce more oxygen and are more visually appealing. These plants are primarily used for decoration. In addition, saplings of Bismarckia nobilis, Roystonea regia, and Phoenix dactylifera will be planted. Saplings from the palm family will also be planted. This plant’s leaves and stems are used for ornamentation and beautification.
The major features on the redesigned roads will be-
Parking for Rickshaw
Marked parking space
Green belt
Public open space
Cycle lane
Walking path lane
Various types of designs will be displayed on the road walls. If there is a park situated next to a road, then it will not be covered by the wall or a boundary, so that the beauty of the park is visible to people travelling on the roads.