NEW DELHI: To reduce traffic congestion and bring relief to commuters in West Delhi, the Delhi government will take up a road and drain repair project along the Nangloi-Najafgarh road, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Tuesday. The Lt Governor, LG VK Saxena, along with Gupta, laid the foundation stone of a Rs 64.04 crore project under which new stormwater drains will be constructed and existing drains on the road will be upgraded. Saxena recalled that in September 2024 he had visited several areas, including Mundka, Nangloi, Kanjhawala, Phirni Road and Rohtak Road, where the situation was extremely dilapidated. “Sewage water was flowing on the roads, the roads were badly damaged and conditions were miserable due to potholes and filth. I had then directed the government to take immediate corrective action,” Saxena said. However, due to neglect by the previous government, the work could not progress, he added. “The Delhi government is working on improving the city’s entire drainage and stormwater management system using new and modern approaches. Once the project is completed, drainage across the entire corridor will improve, roads will be upgraded and commuters will get significant relief from traffic bottlenecks,” the chief minister said. In addition, the road is being strengthened and reconstructed, and crash barriers are being built in the central verge to ensure safe and effective drainage even during the monsoon season, she added. “Regular cleaning of drains, construction of new trunk drains and implementation of sewage treatment plants projects were being carried out simultaneously, so that only treated water flows into the Yamuna in the future and the capital is permanently freed from the problem of waterlogging,” Gupta said further. Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh who was also present at the event said that several roads in this area had been in an extremely dilapidated condition for many years. “The present government had taken responsibility for their reconstruction, completed the tendering process and commenced construction work,” Verma said. Transport Minister Pankaj Singh said for the past 11 years, the situation was so bad in the area that neither pedestrians nor vehicles could move comfortably and conditions worsened further during the monsoon.
