New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the previous AAP-led Delhi government for “halting the developmental projects” for the Delhiites and contrasted it with the Rekha Gupta administration for the introduction of several development projects for the national capital.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development works worth over Rs 33,500 crore in New Delhi.
Addressing a large gathering at a DDA Ground in New Delhi’s Burari, PM Modi said, “We are gathered here to provide a new pace to Delhi’s development journey. We have inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several development projects worth Rs 33,500 crore. From expansion of the metro connectivity to residential spaces for several government employees, facilities are being expanded in the national capital.”
The Prime Minister also distributed cards to the Ayushman Bharat and PM Swanidhi beneficiaries.
“A year ago, you all elected the BJP’s double-engine government with all your trust, and now, the results of it are already showing here. I congratulate everyone on these developmental projects,” he said.
Extending his warm wishes on International Women’s Day, PM Modi said, “India is writing a new chapter of women’s empowerment. Under the successful leadership of CM Rekha Gupta, the capital is being developed. Be it politics, administration, science, sports, or social initiatives, India’s Nari Shakti is moving forward in every direction with new energy.”
“When anyone thinks about the great democracy of India, a picture of Delhi always comes to their mind. Delhi is not only the country’s capital but also India’s identity, a symbol of India’s energy. That is why, Delhi’s development is not the development of one city but also linked to the image of the entire nation,” the Prime Minister said.
“The more modern, well-connected Delhi is, the more effectively India will showcase its confidence. That is why I am happy that today, our Delhi is moving forward, enriched with facilities and infrastructure,” he said.
Recalling the past, PM Modi said, “There was a time when only the bad things of Delhi were discussed. It used to take hours to reach one part of the city from another. People used to waste their time at bus stands waiting for buses and autos. However, now the time is changing.”
He mentioned the recently started Namo Bharat train connecting Delhi to Western Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.
The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of the Delhi metro projects worth about Rs 18,300 crore. The Prime Minister also inaugurated two new corridors of the Delhi Metro.
These include the Majlis Park-Maujpur Babarpur (Pink Line) corridor of around 12.3 km and the Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park (Magenta Line) corridor of around 9.9 km. The new connectivity will benefit several areas of Delhi, including Burari, Jagatpur-Wazirabad, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar, Madhuban Chowk, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Bhalaswa, Majlis Park, among others.
“There isn’t such large connectivity in any other major city in the world. The new projects launched today will provide significant benefits to the people of the national capital, especially to those from East and North East Delhi. Now, every day commute will be easier for everyone,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi laid the foundation stone for three new corridors under Phase V-A of the Delhi Metro, covering a route length of around 16.10 km. The three new corridors are R.K. Ashram Marg to Indraprastha, Aerocity to Indira Gandhi Airport Terminal-1, and Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj.
These corridors will provide direct connectivity to several important locations in the national capital and improve connectivity for residents travelling between Noida, South Delhi and the airport.
The Prime Minister also took a dig at the previous AAP-led government, and said, “These development projects are also a testament to the fact of how important it was for Delhi to get free from the ‘AAPda’. If the AAPda government were not here, then this Metro Phase-4 project would have been completed a long time ago. However, for the political benefit, these AAPda people halted the facilities for the lakhs of Delhiites.”
“After the formation of the BJP government, things have changed,” he said, highlighting the new developmental projects, including new DTC, DEVI and electric buses, of the Rekha Gupta government.
With the construction of the peripheral expressway, PM Modi said, millions of vehicles no longer need to enter the city. He mentioned that the BJP government is also working on a large scale to clean the Yamuna River, for which projects worth crores of rupees have been initiated.
“The AAPda government was unaffected by all the problems of the Delhiites. It had also ruined the health sector. We also wrote letters to them, insisting that the Ayushman Scheme be implemented. However, the AAPda government never cared about the poor,” he said.
“In the past year alone, several Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established here. Now, the Ayushman scheme is also implemented here, and a lot of people are getting the benefits. The difference is clear. The AAPda was focused on ‘less work, more excuses’ (Kaam kam, bahane jyada). Now the development model of Delhi is ‘stop the excuses, start the work’ (bahane band, kaam shuru’,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi visited the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Redevelopment Plan in New Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar and handed over the keys of the Type-5 quarters to the female allottees.
Spread across key locations such as Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Kasturba Nagar and Sriniwaspuri, these projects are part of the government’s programme to modernise GPRA colonies and create world-class infrastructure for government employees and administrative offices.
The projects, worth Rs 15,200 crore under the GPRA plan, have been redeveloped through an innovative self-sustainable financial model that ensures redevelopment is carried out without burdening the public exchequer.
Under this model, the government is developing and monetising a limited portion of the project area for commercial and residential space to finance the entire project.
The revenue generated from it is being used to fund the redevelopment of modern government housing, supporting infrastructure and public facilities.
The redevelopment plan will provide more than 9,350 modern flats for government employees, along with the creation of approximately 48 lakh square feet of office space, which will significantly enhance administrative efficiency while also generating monetisation potential.
–IANS
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