Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claims that AAP government is able to save over Rs 350 crore in the construction of all five elevated corridors with the use of the single-pier technique.
While the North Municipal Corporation had started Rani Jhansi grade separator flyover in 2008 at a cost of Rs 122 crore, it has now escalated to Rs 825 crore in the past eight years.
"AAP government made the incomplete Rani Jhansi Grade separator flyover a major poll plank in the civic polls as the BJP has been ruling over MCDs since 2007," said Delhi in-charge Ashish Talwar.
The 1.8 kilometer long flyover, after completion, will connect Pusa Road, Upper ridge and Rohtak road through Filimistan Cinema, DCM Chowk, Azad market, Roshanara road and further extends to ISBT (Kashmere Gate).
The Rani Jhansi Flyover grade separator project, for instance, ran into legal troubles soon after being initiated in 2008. The project which was supposed to be completed by September 2010 is still stuck in limbo.
"Commuting has become a nightmare here. The road has been barricaded and there is construction debris lying all around near the Pul Bangash Metro station, leaving little space for movement of vehicles," said Safdar Ali, a
local shopkeeper.
Officials said that more than 60 per cent of the work has been completed so far; acquisition of land from the railways is stuck and the project cost has escalated by 50 per cent, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is thinking of either realigning the project or even scrapping it.
While, the Vikaspuri-Wazirabad corridor, conceptualised by the previous Sheila Dikshit government, has four components that involve construction of several flyovers at different intersections — Vikaspuri-Meera Bagh elevated corridor, Mangolpuri-Madhuban Chowk elevated corridor, Madhuban Chowk to Mukarba Chowk elevated corridor and Mukarba Chowk to Wazirabad signal-free project.
Construction work on this corridor began in November 2013. Delhi government claimed Rs 350 crore was saved in construction of 3 flyovers by PWD. This money is to be used in providing free medicines and tests in all Delhi government hospitals. A key Commonwealth Games project — the grade separator was scheduled to be completed by October 2010 — but the project is still pending due to land acquisition and is also lacking a rehabilitation plan for the ones displaced from the area's tyre market.