Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday chaired a meeting to review the proposed 53-km-long cycle track project alongside River Yamuna in the national capital.
Gupta, who has shown special interest in this project of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), is of the opinion that this cycle track is of special importance for the people and will promote green mobility and help bring down carbon emissions while decreasing urban traffic pressure to an extent.
The track is proposed to be built on both sides of the river, starting from Wazirabad Yamuna Bridge, up to NH-24 and then extending to Kalindi Kunj bio- diversity park.
The chief minister emphasized that this is going to be just a transportation project, but a historic initiative with regard to environmental conservation, and empowering citizen facilities in the national capital.
She was informed that most of the departments have provided a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the project and that coordination has been successfully established at various levels. Work on the Phase-I of the project is likely to start from next year with a target to complete it within a year.
In the meeting held at the Delhi secretariat, senior officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, PWD, Railways, Power Department, DJB, NHAI and other agencies were present. During the meeting, detailed discussions were held in the meeting regarding the project’s phased construction, departmental coordination, status of approvals, and work-plans.
The CM said that the project would boost eco-tourism and will contribute to the development and preservation of the green belt along the Yamuna. She was told that the process of approvals from the railways is in its final phase while communication is underway in this direction.
Gupta gave clear directions to all the departments to prioritize the project and that there should not be any lapses with regard to internal coordination amongst departments. She said this project would be the foundation of Delhi’s future urban structure and restore environmental balance.
She said the government’s effort would be to complete the work of all the three phases of the project within three years so that the residents of the city could avail the benefit.
It was further conveyed that the tendering process has been completed and preparatory work for commencing construction is in its final stage.
The CM instructed officials to ensure that there is no compromise on quality, safety, or environmental standards and that citizens are provided with a safe, modern and aesthetically developed cycle track.
The three-phase project will be developed in a continuous loop, with Phase- I covering the stretch from the Old Yamuna Rail Bridge to NH-24, Phase- II extending from NH-24 to the Kalindi Kunj Yamuna Biodiversity Park, and Phase III connecting the Wazirabad Yamuna Barrage to the Old Yamuna Rail Bridge, officials said.