NEW DELHI: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday accused the Delhi government of stalling the ITO Skywalk project for one year, and claimed that several projects including Phase-IV of Delhi Metro are stuck due to non-clearance from the Aam Aadmi Party-led dispensation.
At the inauguration of the Skywalk and foot-over bridge at ITO, Puri alleged that a "false narrative" was being created and said some people who have nothing to do with the project are trying to take credit.
The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs claimed that when the Delhi government, which was supposed to provide 20 per cent of the project cost, did not give its clearance, his Ministry decided to execute the same on its own.
"When I became the minister in September 2017, I was told that the Skywalk project, which was cleared in 2016, was still awaiting the Delhi government's nod. We then decided to execute this project on our own after getting no signal from the Delhi government," Puri said, addressing a gathering here.
"We are seeing a similar pattern in every urban project (in Delhi). Projects like Delhi–Meerut RRTS and Metro Phase-IV have been stuck (due to non-clearance from AAP governement). One year back, we took this project in our hand, we completed this within one year," Puri added.
He also claimed that a former Delhi Public Works Department secretary, now posted outside the city, had raised queries about the need for such a project. According to the Ministry, the project was funded by the Centre, with the Delhi PWD serving as the executing agency.
However, Delhi PWD Minister Satyender Jain said that in accordance with the 80-20 per cent funding agreement, the Delhi government provided around Rs 12 crore of the estimated cost of Rs 55 crore for the project.
The ITO Crossing and 'W' Point Junction are two of the busiest crossings in Delhi, in terms of pedestrian traffic, with around 30,000 pedestrians crossing daily. Over 25 major offices and other institutions are located in this area.
The Skywalk has become the newest bone of contention between the AAP-led Delhi dispensation and the BJP-led Centre. Last week, Jain said that no Delhi minister was invited for the inauguration.
The Delhi government also said that "no amount of tall claims and rhetoric" will be able to mislead the people of Delhi, who will finally judge "whether cutting ribbons will be able a substitute for hard work."