Delhi LG VK Saxena approves proposals for infrastructural projects held up for unreasonable periods

New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday approved the proposals of extremely important projects of the government of India or other agencies that were pending for long periods.

These projects aimed at transforming the city’s skyline and augmenting infrastructure included redevelopment of GPRA Colony at Srinivaspuri pending since 2019, GPRA Sarojini Nagar pending since August 2021 and the Urban Extension Road (UER-II) by NHAI, pending since September 2021, said a statement from LG office.

It took the Lt. Governor, V.K. Saxena, invoking his powers to recall files in terms of Rule 19(5) of the Transaction of Business of the GNCTD Rules (ToBR), 1993, for the Kejriwal Government to finally send 11 files of critical infrastructural importance to the Capital, to the LG for approval.

The said Rule 19(5) of the ToBR, empowers the LG to recall files pending inordinately with Ministers / CM, in public interest. The said Rule 19(5) would have forced the Government to send files to the LG, irrespective of whether they approved it or not, as per an official statement from the LG office.

It said that once the LG Secretariat invoked the said Rule, files that had been pending for years and months without any reason were duly approved and signed by the Minister of Environment and the Chief Minister within days and sent to the LG for approval.

These files pertaining to clearances for translocation/ afforestation of trees had been pending with the Environment Department/Minister, for more than 3 years to 1 year, the least pendency being that of 6 months.

Even as the LG had consistently raised this issue of undue delay with the Chief Minister in many of their meetings, he had also written twice to the Chief Minister on August 17, 2022, and September 30, 2022, flagging the inordinate and unexplained delay in granting permissions by the Environment Department and asked the CM to ensure speedy disposal.

Apart from this, while clearing the file for construction in IIT Delhi, which had been pending approval for more than a year and a half, the LG had noted on file that clearance for such projects of national importance is expedited.

Other proposals in this regard included the construction of CISF Residential Quarters at Saket, the construction of Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridge at Sultanpuri, Nangloi, Group Housing Residential Project at Roshanara Road, road construction on the stretch between Parmanand Chowk to Kingsway Camp and the widening of Burari Road, as per an official statement from LG office.

Despite the above-mentioned communications, the lackadaisical approach of the Kejriwal Government remained unchanged and it finally took the LG Secretariat to invoke Rule 19(5) of ToBR, 1993, for them to move, said the statement from LG office.

It is important to note that the said proposals had been kept pending by the Environment Department / Minister despite the land being provided for compensatory afforestation and amounts as applicable being paid.

One is also left to wonder as to how these projects, pended deliberately for so long, got cleared within days and were sent to the LG once the communication invoking Rule 19(5) of the ToBR was sent on December 9, 2022, stated an official stated from the LG office.