Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday inaugurated the 3-lane Sarai Kale Khan flyover, which will facilitate better connectivity between Central, East, and southeast Delhi.
Speaking at the inaugural event, the chief minister underlined that the cost of building the flyover was less than the sanctioned amount. "We sanctioned Rs 66 crore for this project, and completed it in Rs 50 crore only," he said. "Just as every other project of the Delhi government, we saved the money on this as well."
Highlighting the pace of developmental work during his government, the chief minister said that since 1947 till now, 102 flyovers and underpasses have been constructed in the national capital.
Among these, he said, 30 had been constructed by the AAP government in only eight years. "What’s been done in 75 years, 30 per cent of this has been achieved in just eight years by the AAP government. This shows how rapidly Delhi is being developed," he said.
Kejriwal added that in the coming times, 25 more flyovers are being constructed. "Nine flyovers are under-construction and another 16 are at the stage of approval. This will lead the tally to more than 125, and 50 per cent of this will be developed by the AAP government in 8-10 years," he noted.
The Delhi government also shared a list of flyovers whose actual cost was less than the sanctioned budget. It said that so far, 30 flyover projects in the city have Saved a total of Rs 557 crore.
The chief minister said his government completes all the work on time and saves money in the process while no other state governments complete their projects without cost escalation. He cited the example of the Rani Jhansi flyover which had an initial cost of Rs 300-400 crore but was built at Rs 1,500 crore.
"In the construction of 30 flyovers in our government, we saved Rs 557 crore. It should be in the Guinness Book that there is a government in Delhi, India, that saves money on every task with complete honesty. Just as we save money in our homes, we work with complete honesty in the government and save every single penny," he said.
Kejriwal said that "PWD stands for corruption" across the country, but in Delhi, it is synonymous with "honesty". "Our "PWD' department is saving money on every project," he said.