- AAP held a protest at the under-construction Dwarka expressway site in Delhi alleging corruption in the project.
- The AAP protests came after a CAG report alleged that there was a massive cost overrun in the key infrastructure project.
- The CAG report clearly mentioned that the cost increase is because of converting the grade-level road to an elevated road, and the audit report didn’t hint or allege any scam.
- The CAG report has not analysed the reasons behind the increase in the cost, such as “land acquisition cost escalation & additional constructions”, the BJP said.
The AAP leaders accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government of a “huge scam” in the construction of the highway. The Aam Admi Party (AAP), led by its national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, held a protest at the under-construction Dwarka expressway site near Nangli Sakrawati in Najafgarh, where they highlighted “corruption” in the key infrastructure project.
During their protest, the AAP leaders cited the recent audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which flagged that the project is being developed at a cost that is nearly ‘14 times’ the amount that was originally approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in 2017.
The Dwarka Expressway project is a big scam by the Modi government, said Kakkar as she alleged that the project was approved at a cost of Rs.18 crore/km but is being built at a cost of Rs.251 crore/km without any prior approval.
“The central government is steeped in corruption on the one hand while the AAP government is building projects in less than the original cost estimates. Azadpur flyover was built while saving Rs.100 crore from approved cost. We use the savings to provide amenities to people. Even the central government data shows Delhi has the lowest inflation levels,” she added. “Even the CAG could not cover Modiji’s corruption,” said Kakkar.
AAP MLAs and senior party leaders dubbed the infrastructure project to be ‘Sone Ki Sadak’. They held tricolours and placards and argued that the Rs.250 crore cost per kilometre construction is unjustifiably high.
Kondli legislator Kuldeep Kumar said that the soil from the project which is costing Rs.250 crore/km should be displayed in museums as proof of the alleged corruption by the central government.
The Dwarka Expressway is being constructed under the Bharatmala programme by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). According to the CAG report, an overall average construction cost of Rs.18.2 crore/km was approved under the Bharatmala programme, while the NHAI board approved the project at a civil cost of Rs.7,287 crore, which comes roughly to Rs.250.77/km
Meanwhile, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that AAP leaders are frustrated due to several corruption charges against their own leaders. They are trying to confuse Delhiites on the report on Dwarka Expressway. The CAG report has not analysed the reasons behind the increase in the cost, such as “land acquisition cost escalation & additional constructions”, the BJP said.
(With inputs from agencies)
