Delhi Budget greenlights key infrastructure projects

New Delhi: Presenting the Delhi Budget on Tuesday, chief minister Rekha Gupta Tuesday gave the go-ahead to several major infrastructure projects in the city. Key initiatives include the expansion of the Modi Mill flyover up to Kalkaji, a new flyover at the Savitri Cinema intersection and construction of an underpass at Gagan Cinema on Mangal Pandey Marg – all aimed at improving traffic flow in some of Delhi’s busiest corridors.

The Modi Mill flyover expansion and the Savitri Cinema junction flyover have been sanctioned at a combined cost of Rs 371 crore, with Rs 150 crore earmarked for the current fiscal. Delhi govt aims to complete both the projects in 24-30 months.

Public Works Department (PWD) has prepared detailed plans to upgrade and extend these structures. The 1.5km Modi Mill flyover will feature six lanes with nine-metre-wide carriageways on either side, medians, crash barriers and railings. The project will cover critical intersections like Captain Gaur Marg, Maa Anand Mai Marg, Lotus Temple Road, Masjid Moth Road and Nehru Place bus depot.

At the Savitri Cinema junction, a 900-metre-long one-way, three-lane grade separator will be built to tackle chronic bottlenecks affecting residents of Greater Kailash, C R Park and GK-II. The elevated structure will feature 435 metres of raised roadway, seamless integration with the existing flyover, two ramps for entry and exit, dedicated bus bays and redesigned junctions to enhance pedestrian safety and streamline traffic.

In addition, the Gagan Cinema underpass on Mangal Pandey Marg, with a total sanctioned cost of Rs 99.3 crore, will be a four-lane structure about 500 metres long. Once completed, this 10km stretch will become signal-free, providing commuters traveling from Signature Bridge to Bhopura Chowk a smooth, uninterrupted ride.

The budget also allocated Rs 210 crore for completing the long-pending Barapullah corridor, stalled since 2016 “due to bureaucratic delays and corruption under the previous govt”, said Gupta. The project is expected to be completed by June 2026, creating a vital alternative route linking outer and west Delhi with major highways and extending connectivity to the Delhi-Haryana border near Gurgaon.

“This is a historic budget. Compared to the previous one, more schemes have been included, and the needs of every section have been taken into account. It focuses on making Delhi roads better, jam-free and greener,” said PWD minister Parvesh Verma.

Other key allocations include Rs 160 crore for road and drainage improvement in notified and non-conforming industrial areas, Rs 25 crore for new foot overbridges and Rs 453.9 crore for constructing 54km of roads along Najafgarh drain.

Gupta also announced steps to revive long-stalled projects, including integrated flyovers at Azadpur-Triplolia Gate, Ghanta Ghar station, Yamuna Vihar-Bhajanpura, Saket metro station, MB Road to LBS Marg and elevated ramps connecting Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg to MB Road. These works, including several double-decker flyovers, are expected to have a combined cost of over Rs 2,000 crore, with Rs 575 crore allocated in the upcoming budget.

To address local civic needs, the budget also proposes Rs 350 crore under the MLA-LAD scheme, ensuring lawmakers can prioritise development in their constituencies.

Other highlights include Rs 10 crore for extending an underpass near Mukarba Chowk to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Rs 10 crore for an elevated road from Bhalswa to NH-1, Rs 100 crore for 24/7 CCTV surveillance for women’s safety, Rs 200 crore for drainage redevelopment under a new master plan and Rs 50 crore for replacing conventional streetlights with smart LED systems. A total of Rs 1,392 crore has been earmarked for strengthening PWD roads across Delhi.