Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Delhi government allocated Rs 900 crore for the development of roads in villages in its annual budget which was presented on Monday.

Presenting the budget in the Assembly, Finance Minister Atishi said that the people living in Delhi's villages have given a lot of love and respect to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"To develop better road infrastructure in the villages, this year the Kejriwal government will lay about 1,000 kilometres of roads in more than 360 villages of Delhi. This will give a great boost to the village economy. For the development of the villages of Delhi, I propose a budget of Rs 900 crore in the financial year 2024-25," Atishi said.

The Delhi government allocated Rs 1,768 crore for road and flyover projects in the city in its annual budget 2024-25.

Atishi said the quality of road infrastructure is a crucial determinant of the pace of the economy of any country. The more the government invests in roads, the more it enables time and cost savings for the common people.

In this direction, work of several new flyovers and elevated corridors -- Barapullah Phase-III, double decker metro flyover on Brijpuri junction via Karawal Nagar, Gonda, flyover on Nand Nagari to Gagan cinema junction, double decker metro flyover on Rani Jhansi Road junction to Azadpur corridor, flyover from Anand Vihar ROB to Apsara Border ROB, and underpass on Outer Ring Road Mukarba Chowk -- will be completed and dedicated to the people of Delhi in the fiscal year, she said.

Nearly 80 per cent of the work on the integrated corridor between Punjabi Bagh flyover and Raja Garden flyover has been completed, the minister said.

"I am happy to share that by the end of 2024-25, six new flyovers will be dedicated to the people of Delhi. As part of the mission to improve Delhi's roads and make it one of the best in terms of road networks in the world, I propose Rs 1,768 crore in the Budget 2024-25 for road and flyover projects in Delhi," the minister said.

The Kejriwal government has constructed 30 new corridors, flyovers, bridges, and underpasses in the past nine years, to make traffic smoother in the city, Atishi said.

The construction of these flyovers has not only reduced traffic congestion in the areas but also transformed roads that used to take hours to cross into routes that can now be traversed in minutes, she said.

Until 2017-18, Delhi was the fourth most congested city in the world. Despite the increase in Delhi's population and the number of vehicles, traffic congestion on the roads has decreased. Today, with the construction of roads, corridors, and flyovers, Delhi has come down to the 44th position, the minister said.

The Delhi government has also focused on building internal roads that connect colonies. Under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Sadak Punarnirman Yojana’, around 850 kilometres of roads have been constructed so far, she said.

Kejriwal has made several efforts to make the streets of Delhi safe. Under the chief minister's CCTV scheme, there are now more than 2.60 lakh CCTV cameras installed in the national capital, the minister said.

According to the Forbes India 2021 report, more than 1,820 cameras have been installed per square mile in every part of the city. Now, the figures for CCTV surveillance per square mile are such that Delhi has surpassed cities like New York and London, Atishi said.

Upgradation of 1,400 kilometres of roads and construction of 29 flyovers, including three double-decker structures, were part of the Delhi government's vision for a beautiful and modern city which hosted the G-20 Summit last year.

During 2023-24, the Delhi government had proposed an allocation of Rs 3,126 crore for the various road and flyover projects.

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