Atishi targets October deadline for road inspections and repairs

Following the monsoon’s effect on arterial roads across the capital, the government has decided to repair 1,400km of roads managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) by the end of October, said officials aware of the matter. After chairing the review meeting regarding inspections and repairs of arterial roads held at the Delhi secretariat on Sunday, chief minister Atishi announced in a press conference that ministers have been assigned to oversee road repair in various districts. The CM further added that the inspections are set to begin on Monday. 
 “A comprehensive review of 1,400km of PWD roads was done to find out which roads are completely broken and need to be rebuilt. We identified the roads in which some parts are broken, where 100-200 metres of road need to be built, and sites where small potholes are to be fixed,” the CM said, adding that by Diwali, they will be able to give pothole-free roads to all Delhiites.
During the review meeting attended by ministers, chief secretary Dharmendra, and senior PWD officials, each minister was assigned specific areas to oversee the repair work: Atishi will handle south and south-east Delhi, Saurabh Bharadwaj will oversee east Delhi, Gopal Rai will manage north-east Delhi, Kailash Gahlot will be responsible for the west and south-west Delhi, Imran Hussain for central and New Delhi, and Mukesh Ahlawat for north and north-west Delhi. 
CM Atishi said that in the last two days, she has accompanied the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in inspections of the condition of roads in different parts of the city. “The condition of Delhi’s roads is very bad. Delhi Jal Board and discoms have done their work for different reasons, but the roads have not been repaired,” she added. 
Atishi and other ministers, along with local MLAs and PWD officials, will begin inspecting roads at 6am on Monday. These roads, wider than 60 feet, are distinct from the 12,700km of inner roads which are under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The evaluation process will be completed this week, and the work of repairing the roads will start next week.
On Saturday, Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi had also written to the MCD commissioner regarding the poor state of the MCD roads, seeking an action plan for repair work. 
In response to the road inspections and Atishi’s promises regarding the problem, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government, accusing it of neglecting Delhi’s infrastructure for nearly a decade. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, “As the time for the main examination approached, Arvind Kejriwal resigned to avoid accountability. Ten years of inaction and corruption have left Delhi’s roads, flyovers, public transport, sewer and water supply, ration cards, social pensions, schools, and hospitals in a state of utter disappointment for Delhiites. The situation of the government today is like that of a student who doesn’t study all year but tries to cram everything the night before the exam to succeed.”
Sachdeva further said that the CM is now trying to repair the roads that were left in poor condition by the Kejriwal administration itself. “However, Atishi must realise that in the 90 days before the election notification, she will not be able to handle the anti-incumbency against Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.