It’s official: Games work is ‘almost complete’

“We have finished our work on time — most of our projects are complete. There are a couple of things,such as streetscaping in certain areas that are left,but this is not entirely essential to the Games and can be completed after the Games are over as well. Unlike some other projects,it’s not like the Games won’t take place at all if streetscaping is stalled,” said Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta.

Mehta said the Government would give priority to two of the 74 projects — the Barapulla Nallah (with a new August 28 deadline) and the Salimgarh Fort road project,slated to be over by August 15.

According to the government’s official list,their major projects,including the Geeta Colony Bridge,Neela Hauz Khas Bridge,ITO Chungi,revamping of Nelson Mandela Marg,Aruna Asaf Ali Marg and RTR Marg,have all been completed. Sources said the government and various local bodies need to go on overdrive to meet deadlines for widening of roads in various localities,signages (the report says the MCD has not even begun putting up signages of international standards),streetlighting and streetscaping,which had been projected as something that would “change the face of Delhi”.

Bus shelters have been put in place only across NDMC areas; the rest of the city is yet to see new structures of the kind with the DTC having completed only 15 per cent of its allocated work. The new redesigned public toilets are mostly located in NDMC areas,and the MCD has completed only 30 per cent of the total work in this regard.

It is doubtful if the power projects,which were to augment Delhi’s capacity to carry extra load during the Games,would be anywhere near completion before the event,and the city’s various park and ride projects also seem to share a similar fate.