NEW DELHI: In a bid to scrub city’s air of road dust, the Public Works Department of the Delhi government has decided to transform four stretches into model roads that officials claim will be entirely dust-free. The pilot project is part of a larger plan to redevelop 160 kilometres of the PWD road network this year to combat air pollution.
According to officials, four specific roads will be identified for comprehensive work, including pothole repair, wall-to-wall paving, and greenery, which will be extended later. “If the pilot project is successful, it will be expanded to other roads across the city. The process of identifying these roads is going on. They will be paved and other dust reduction measures will be implemented,” a PWD official said.
The PWD has two other related projects in the pipeline. Under the first, 70 mechanical road sweeping machines and water tankers will be deployed for mechanised cleaning. Under the second project, 250 water sprinkler machines will be deployed for regular dust suppression.
According to the Delhi government, approximately 3,300 kilometres of roads in the city require reconstruction or upgradation. This includes around 800 kilometres under the PWD; 1,200 kilometres under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi; and nearly 1,000 kilometres in unauthorised colonies.
The government has scheduled paving of about 160 kilometres of roads this year. It has also identified 85.70 kilometres of roads for extensive greenery work. The total estimated cost for these work is expected to exceed `400 crore, officials said.
In December, CM Rekha Gupta chaired a review meeting to discuss measures for controlling air pollution and road dust. She directed all departments to identify and fill potholes and instructed road-maintenance agencies to ensure that no road remains broken.
She even asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to issue challans against negligent government bodies. She took a serious view of road cutting as well, saying that FIRs must be filed against government departments conducting road-cutting without permission, for which, she proposed to hold departmental heads accountable. She said, “To prevent repeated road cutting, underground utility ducts will be provided. Tenders will be issued soon, with a target to complete works within one year.”