New Delhi:
North Delhi Jai Prakash on Monday alleged that the Rani Jhansi flyover project got delayed on account of the Delhi government as many of its departments “did not do their jobs” within time.
He levelled the accusation at a press conference held here, a day after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had held the BJP-led civic body of the area, responsible for the delay.
After missing several deadlines, the Rani Jhansi Grade separator was thrown open to the public on October 16, 2018. Work had begun on it nearly 10 years ago.
The six-lane, 1.8 km ambitious flyover project in north Delhi, provides connectivity between St Stephen’s Hospital near the Tiz Hazari Courts complex, and Filmstan Cinema. It also provides a link with the intersections for Baraf Khana, DCM Chowk, Azad Market and Subzi Mandi areas of Delhi.
Prakash alleged that the “main reason behind the delay in construction of Rani Jhansi flyover was the Delhi government, whose departments did not do their jobs on time”.
AAP on Sunday had questioned the ”inordinate delay” in the completion of Rani Jhansi flyover, inviting a quick return question from the BJP which asked as to why the Signature Bridge got delayed by five years. Addressing a press conference here, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that despite the cost of completing the flyover increasing by a humongous 409 per cent, ”the concerned commissioner isn’t willing to reveal the names of the guilty officers and politicians”.
In response to this, the Delhi BJP asked as to how the budgeted cost of Signature Bridge rose from Rs 887 to 1575 crores, who siphoned off the excess Rs 688 crores and why it got delayed by over 5 years.
Prakash said the spokespersons of the ruling party have made the Rani Jhansi flyover a major issue despite the fact that “the AAP had not even contributed a single rupee to”.
“They are spreading a new lie daily about the construction of Rani Jhansi flyover,” he alleged. The mayor claimed that “the government of India had given Rs 85 crore to the then unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi for the project. The construction of the flyover was estimated at Rs 742 crore but it was completed at a cost of Rs 313 crore and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation saved Rs 411 crore”.
