Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri Monday accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of stalling the ITO Skywalk project for one year
A fresh tug of war has brewed between Delhi Government and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over the ownership of the newly-inaugurated ITO Skywalk project. The skywalk and the foot over bridge (FOB) was inaugurated by Puri on Monday
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri Monday accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of stalling the ITO Skywalk project for one year, claiming that several projects including the Metro Phase-IV are stuck due to non-clearance from the AAP dispensation.
Puri, who inaugurated the skywalk and FOB at ITO, alleged that "false narrative" was being created and said some people who have nothing to do with the project are trying to take credit. The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs claimed that when the Delhi government, which was supposed to provide 20 per cent of the project cost, did not give its clearance, his ministry decided to execute the same on its own.
The invite for the event which was sent out on Thursday by the Union ministry. The invite had the names of Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, Anil Baijal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Meenakshi Lekhi, but did not had names of any minister or MLA from the party ruling Delhi
On its part, the Delhi government said, "No amount of tall claims and rhetoric" will be able to mislead the people of Delhi, who will finally judge, whether cutting ribbons will be able a substitute for hard work."
The ITO Crossing and 'W' Point Junction are the two busiest crossing as far as the pedestrian traffic is concerned. There are over 25 major offices and other institutions located in this area. Approximately 30,000 pedestrian cross various roads around ITO Crossing and 'W' Point. The skywalk, which has been constructed with a cost of Rs 55 crore, has six lifts.
"When I became the minister in September 2017, I was told that the skywalk project, which was cleared in 2016, were still awaiting the Delhi government's nod. We then decided to execute this project on our own after getting no signal from the Delhi government," Puri said while addressing a gathering here.
The skywalk has become a bone of contention between the AAP dispensation and the BJP-led central government.
Last week, Delhi PWD minister Satyendar Jain said that no Aam Aadmi Party minister was invited for the inauguration of the project. According to the ministry, the project has been executed with fund provided by the Centre. The PWD was an executing agency.
Puri said that bureaucratic queries were raised about the necessity of the project and a former Delhi PWD secretary, now posted outside the city, raised queries about the need for such a project.
"His objections were, however, overruled by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia who headed the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), which gave its approval for providing the Delhi government share of Rs 12 crore for the skywalk project," the government said in a statement.
WALK THROUGH
The ITO Crossing and ‘W’ Point Junction are the two busiest crossing as far as the pedestrian traffic is concerned. There are over 25 major offices and other institutions located in this area. Approximately 30,000 pedestrian cross various roads around ITO Crossing and ‘W’ Point. The skywalk, which has been constructed with a cost of Rs 55 crore, has six lifts.
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