MAKEOVER 2019

What will make Delhi-ites’ lives better in 2019? The infrastructure is certainly set to improve this year – fingers crossed!

Delhi has undergone destruction seven times, as author William Dalrymple mentioned in his book City of Djinns, only to be resurrected with modern developments. Currently, it is in its eighth phase of development — and will soon present a bouquet of several new facilities to Delhiites. The year 2019 is supposed to be the year of long-due projects being fast-tracked to meet deadlines. Here is a list of some of the significant developments that the capital can look forward to this year:

CCTV cameras
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) much awaited project of installing 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras across the city will see the light of the day by the end of 2019, according to reports. As part of the project, 2,000 cameras will be installed in each constituency in Delhi. However, there have been several delays in the Rs 571 crore project. Although the committee appointed by L-G Anil Baijal said that the installation of cameras will begin by January, Delhi Police told the Delhi High Court that installation will take at least a year.
Recently, the court was also informed of the “irregularities” found in the proposal. A PIL was filed in the court opposing the government’s plan to install CCTV cameras in its school. The court had earlier said that there was nothing wrong with CCTV cameras being installed inside classrooms.
Currently, there are 2.5 lakh cameras monitoring movements in the city.

Rao Tula Ram Flyover
In a bid to assuage the traffic woes of Delhiites, several flyovers were under construction in 2018, many of which will probably get completed by this year.
First in line is the Rao Tula Ram flyover. The project started in November 2014 and the 2.7-km stretch that overshot its time limit of 24 months. The plan is to disperse the multitude of vehicles that come from South Delhi and are headed towards IGI Airport and Gurugram.
Pollution in the city had recently brought the construction phase to a standstill to meet the anti-pollution restrictions set by EPCA. However, the Rs 310 core project is set to be completed by March 2019, as per authorities.

Kalindi Kunj Bypass
The second in line is the Kalindi Kunj bypass project, which may finally take off in 2019. Due to the objections put forward by the UP government, the project was handed over to NHAI by the PWD.
The project’s aim is to decongest the Ashram Intersection by having a 5.7 km elevated portion. The intersection witnesses 3 lakh vehicles each day. It can prove to be a relief for people residing in New Friends Colony, Kalindi Kunj, Ashram and Okhla.

Barapulla Phase-3
This Rs 1,260 crore project was started in 2015 to link Sarai Kale Khan with Mayur Vihar, with the aim to reduce the travel time by 20 minutes. The project faced some difficulties in negotiating with the farmers to purchase the land. But officials are hoping that the project will be completed by the end of 2019 or early 2020.

Delhi Metro
Besides introducing new lines named on various colours, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been trying to devise novel ways to ease commuter’s travel by Metro. The DMRC recently announced that it would improve mobile connectivity in the pink and magenta lines. Currently, commuters receive barely no network once the metro goes underground on these two lines. The plan is to install night boosters and over 300 personnel have been deployed for this. The work is set to be completed by the end of next month.

Grey Line
Besides this, a new line is set to be operational by September this year. Line 9 — Grey Line — will connect Dwarka to Dhansa Bus Stand (West Delhi). There will be an interchange to Blue Line at Dwarka Metro Station.

Dilshad Garden to Ghaziabad ISBT
As part of the Phase III plan, a new line is slated to be operational early this year. This extension line is a 9.5 km stretch from Dilshad Garden to Ghaziabad ISBT, which will be good news for those travelling to Ghaziabad ISBT, the new bus stand.

Trilokpuri to Mayur Vihar Phase 1
With the Lajpat Nagar to Mayur Vihar Part 1 line already in place now, the section between Trilokpuri to Mayur Vihar 1 is expected to be completed by July-August this year. This will segregate the pink line into two independent lines.

Pragati Maidan
The redevelopment of Pragati Maidan promises to make it a year-round hub of activity, with a spanking new convention centre and restaurant complex, which is set to come up by September 2019.
During the annual India’s International Trade Fair, which takes places every year in November, around 1.5 lakh people come to visit the complex every day. The Rs 2,500 crore project will have a convention centre, an amphitheatre, man-made water bodies, musical fountains, food plazas and a basement parking to accommodate 4,500 cars.

Nehru Place Bus Terminal
To give seven bus terminals a modern look, Delhi government is starting with the redevelopment of the Nehru Place Bus Terminal. There are six other bus terminals, including the Azadpur and Najafgarh terminals, which will be revamped. Four other terminals will also be built, as per reports.
The new terminals will have a modernised bus lane, a public plaza, a mohalla clinic, lockers, charging booths and provisions for notification of bus arrival and departure.

Buses
Aiming to increase the CNG-powered buses in the capital, the Delhi Transport Corporation will add 3,000 buses to serve its network. The corporation has not added a single bus to its fleet in nearly a decade.
Along with this, the government is also planning to install CCTV cameras, panic buttons and GPS in 5,000 DTC and cluster buses to ensure extended safety to the passengers.

Mohalla Clinics
AAP government’s flagship healthcare initiative may face a setback in terms of the number of clinics which will be introduced by the end of this year.
As per the outcome budget, the number of new clinics for the year 2018-19 was reduced to 530.