Union Budget:`700 cr earmarked to solve Delhi’s power, water woes
12 July 2014 4:59 AM IST
A total of Rs 700 crore was allocated in the Union Budget for carrying out reforms in power and water sectors in the national capital on Thursday. Presenting the budget, finance minister Arun Jaitley proposed Rs 500 crore for reform in the water sector, while Rs 200 crore has been set aside for reform in the power sector. The city has been facing long power cuts during the peak summer months despite adequate availability of power. Major power transmission lines often trip when the load increases.
‘The National Capital Territory of Delhi faces large in-migration every year. Delhi is plagued by frequent transmission related problems and issues of water distribution and supply. In order to overcome this and make Delhi a world class city, I propose to provide Rs 200 crore for power reforms and Rs 500 crore for water reforms’, he said. The city had witnessed major power cuts following the dust storm on 30 May.
Other highlights include an increase of Rs 7 crore for the installation of traffic signals in the national capital this fiscal. Rs 11.50 crore have been allocated for this purpose in the budget for 2014-15 as against Rs 3.46 crore earmarked in the last budget. Rs 11.37 crore have been allotted for ‘Developing Traffic and Communication Network in NCR Mega Cities and Model Traffic System’ in the current budget. In 2013-14, Rs 7.51 crore was earmarked for the same purpose.
In the budget presented in Parliament today by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the city police was allocated a total of Rs 67.90 crore in plan head while Rs 4585.29 crore was earmarked for non-plan expenditure. The total allocation of Rs 4653.19 crore in this budget is Rs 393.99 crore higher than the previous allocation of Rs 4259.20 in 2013-14. For upgrading training facilities, Rs 4 crore have been allocated while Rs 44 lakh has been allocated for induction of latest technology. The union government on Thursday also made it clear that it was determined to revive the Renuka dam project in Himachal Pradesh. The national capital could get 275 million gallons of drinking every day as a result, which covers a fourth of the city’s existing supply. The project was rejected by the UPA government on grounds that it would cause a massive environmental damage.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, in his maiden budget presented in Parliament, allocated an initial sum of Rs 50 crore to take up the project on a priority basis. ‘I have provided an initial sum of Rs 50 crore for this’, he said. As far as Renuka dam project is concerned, it would reportedly come up at the cost of felling about 1.5 lakh trees and 32 villages, with 2,334 people likely to be affected as well. However, the project is bound to solve the water woes of the city, which has a demand of about 1,150 million gallons a day. However, at present, it only provides 850 million gallons every day.
This is the second big dam project that the NDA is pushing after approval was given last month to raise the height of the Narmada dam in Gujarat to 138.68 meters, from 121.92 meters. The 148-meter high Renuka dam would come up on the Giri River, a tributary of the Yamuna, in the backward Himachal district of Sirmaur, located 300 km north of Delhi.
The dam will also generate 60 MW of power. Earlier, the Delhi government had to bear the entire cost of the project worth Rs 3,600 crore. However, it was later declared a national project funded by the Centre. However, the project was unable to take off during the Congress government’s 15-year stint at the national capital. Then environment minister Jairam Ramesh had rejected the project. He felt that the environmental and social loss caused by it would be much higher than the benefits Delhi would accrue.
The union budget presented also earmarked Rs 3,470 crore for the phase three of Delhi Metro for financial year 2014-15. Finance minister Arun Jaitley allocated a total of Rs 3470.16 crore for the ongoing progress of the works related to Phase III of Delhi MRTS project and expansion of Metro lines in the National Capital Region.
The actual funds received for the previous fiscal year 2013-14 for Delhi MRTS Project, including NCR, was Rs 2576.61 crore. As part of the total allocation, the government has given grant of Rs 145.81 crore for NCR expansion in Faridabad and Bahadurgarh. The Delhi government was on Thursday allotted Rs 349 crore in the Union Budget as central assistance for 2014-15, which is a decrease of Rs 682 crore compared to last year’s provision of Rs 1,031 crore.
‘The National Capital Territory of Delhi faces large in-migration every year. Delhi is plagued by frequent transmission related problems and issues of water distribution and supply. In order to overcome this and make Delhi a world class city, I propose to provide Rs 200 crore for power reforms and Rs 500 crore for water reforms’, he said. The city had witnessed major power cuts following the dust storm on 30 May.
Other highlights include an increase of Rs 7 crore for the installation of traffic signals in the national capital this fiscal. Rs 11.50 crore have been allocated for this purpose in the budget for 2014-15 as against Rs 3.46 crore earmarked in the last budget. Rs 11.37 crore have been allotted for ‘Developing Traffic and Communication Network in NCR Mega Cities and Model Traffic System’ in the current budget. In 2013-14, Rs 7.51 crore was earmarked for the same purpose.
In the budget presented in Parliament today by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the city police was allocated a total of Rs 67.90 crore in plan head while Rs 4585.29 crore was earmarked for non-plan expenditure. The total allocation of Rs 4653.19 crore in this budget is Rs 393.99 crore higher than the previous allocation of Rs 4259.20 in 2013-14. For upgrading training facilities, Rs 4 crore have been allocated while Rs 44 lakh has been allocated for induction of latest technology. The union government on Thursday also made it clear that it was determined to revive the Renuka dam project in Himachal Pradesh. The national capital could get 275 million gallons of drinking every day as a result, which covers a fourth of the city’s existing supply. The project was rejected by the UPA government on grounds that it would cause a massive environmental damage.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, in his maiden budget presented in Parliament, allocated an initial sum of Rs 50 crore to take up the project on a priority basis. ‘I have provided an initial sum of Rs 50 crore for this’, he said. As far as Renuka dam project is concerned, it would reportedly come up at the cost of felling about 1.5 lakh trees and 32 villages, with 2,334 people likely to be affected as well. However, the project is bound to solve the water woes of the city, which has a demand of about 1,150 million gallons a day. However, at present, it only provides 850 million gallons every day.
This is the second big dam project that the NDA is pushing after approval was given last month to raise the height of the Narmada dam in Gujarat to 138.68 meters, from 121.92 meters. The 148-meter high Renuka dam would come up on the Giri River, a tributary of the Yamuna, in the backward Himachal district of Sirmaur, located 300 km north of Delhi.
The dam will also generate 60 MW of power. Earlier, the Delhi government had to bear the entire cost of the project worth Rs 3,600 crore. However, it was later declared a national project funded by the Centre. However, the project was unable to take off during the Congress government’s 15-year stint at the national capital. Then environment minister Jairam Ramesh had rejected the project. He felt that the environmental and social loss caused by it would be much higher than the benefits Delhi would accrue.
The union budget presented also earmarked Rs 3,470 crore for the phase three of Delhi Metro for financial year 2014-15. Finance minister Arun Jaitley allocated a total of Rs 3470.16 crore for the ongoing progress of the works related to Phase III of Delhi MRTS project and expansion of Metro lines in the National Capital Region.
The actual funds received for the previous fiscal year 2013-14 for Delhi MRTS Project, including NCR, was Rs 2576.61 crore. As part of the total allocation, the government has given grant of Rs 145.81 crore for NCR expansion in Faridabad and Bahadurgarh. The Delhi government was on Thursday allotted Rs 349 crore in the Union Budget as central assistance for 2014-15, which is a decrease of Rs 682 crore compared to last year’s provision of Rs 1,031 crore.
Next Story
