‘Pothole-free Delhi’ drive is about temporary fixes: BJP

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s “pothole-free Delhi” initiative, saying it is more about gaining media attention and providing temporary fixes than finding a long-lasting solution.

“A major reason behind the poor condition of Delhi roads is leakage from thousands of broken sewer and water pipelines, which cannot be fixed just by patchwork. However, the government seems more focused on temporary fixes ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections,” he added.

The government’s criticism came a day after Chief Minister Atishi, along with her Cabinet colleagues, launched an inspection to identify stretches requiring repairs.

The government has decided to repair the damaged roads being managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) before Deepavali under the initiative.

Ms. Atishi on Tuesday inspected stretches in Sarai Kale Khan and Nizamuddin, and near the Nehru Vihar flyover and Moolchand underpass.

The CM said the stretch between Ring Road and the Nizamuddin railway station was in a dilapidated condition, making commuting difficult.

“This road was handed over to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) during the construction of a railway station as part of the Rapid Rail Transit System. Instructions have been issued to PWD officials to coordinate with NCRTC and repair this road soon,” she said in a post on X.

In another post, she said officials have been instructed to repair the Moolchand underpass road within a week.

Meanwhile, Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inspected roads in C.R. Park and the Alaknanda areas. Environment Minister Gopal Rai inspected roads in north-east Delhi’s Gokulpuri while Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot inspected the Mahipalpur-Mehrauli road, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg and Nelson Mandela Road.

Published - October 02, 2024 01:17 am IST