‘Safety of road commuters priority of govt’: Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
NEW DELHI: With an aim to ensure safety of commuters, and beautify the city roads, the AAP-led Delhi Government on Wednesday gave nod to construct new central verges on Rohtak, MP and Kotla Road, and also directed the officials to ensure that the design of the central verge adheres to all necessary standards and codes, and should include well-trimmed and maintained shrubbery wherever feasible.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has approved the projects worth Rs 18.19 crore for the construction of a central verge design at three road stretches namely Rohtak Road (NH10), MP road number-142, Mayur Vihar Phase-III and Kotla Road.
Sisodia said that the safety of commuters on Delhi roads is the priority of the city government and PWD is continuously working to improve the city’s road infrastructure to ensure this. “The department is regularly exploring new strategies to improve safety and aesthetics of all Delhi roads and is therefore creating a new central verge design that is aligned with global best practices,” Sisodia stated.
Deputy CM noted that central verges serve an aesthetic function in addition to providing better road safety. “They work to prohibit the entry of vehicles in specific dangerous areas. They are one of the effective ways of controlling dense and high-speed traffic on roads,” he claimed.Sisodia underlined that the PWD officials have been directed to ensure that the new medians are of a single colour with reflectors mounted at regular intervals.
“Their design will be in compliance with the latest IRC/UTTIPEC guidelines and where space permits, well trimmed and maintained shrubbery will be planted in the median. Additionally, at junctions and U-turns there will be a drop in height of the median to ensure improved visibility,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sisodia on Wednesday handed over to the family members of Arun Kumar Rakshit, who was the OSD to Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain and died during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore.
Rakshit worked extensively during Covid, coordinating with hospitals and helping people get healthcare services timely. Handing over the compensation, Sisodia said, “Covid warriors worked selflessly during the pandemic and sacrificed their lives to protect humanity and society without caring for their own lives. “We will never forget the sacrifice of our Covid warriors. It is our promise that the government will always stand by their families in every crisis,” he said.