Dwarka expressway valued 14 times high than sanctioned: CAG

The expressway which was designed to alleviate congestion on NH-48 which connects Delhi and Gurugram has overshot the budget that was sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in 2017 by 14 times.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, have unveiled the details including the cost of the Dwarka Expressway.

According to the report the expressway was built to ease the traffic of National Highway-48 between Delhi and Gurugram by developing a 14-lane road which was built at a ‘very high’ per km cost of ₹ 250.77 crore against ₹ 18.20 crore per km which was approved by the committee.

The reason that was cited by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway back in April 2022 was that the initial approval was given for the development of an eight-lane elevated corridor with minimal exit arrangements to allow smooth movement of inter-state traffic but later it was expanded to 14-lane, which was the reason for the high value.

It is not only the highway cost that is mismatched with the approved and actual costs. The report also reveals that the sanctioned cost under the Bharatmala Pariyojana was 58% higher than the approved cost, across India.

According to the data, the sanctioned cost of 26,316 km of project length was ₹8,46,588 crore (₹32.17 crore/km) as against CCEA approved length of 34,800 km at a cost of ₹5,35,000 crore (₹15.37 crore/km).

Delhi govt buildings to go through an audit

The latest statement by Power Minister of Delhi, Atishi, their government is also planning to undertake an energy audit of all its buildings they work having sanctioned a load of 500 KW and above as well as street lights by auditors from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

According to the statement of Delhi Power Minister Atishi, the audit will determine areas of uncontrolled power usage in the government buildings they work in and will devise and create a plan of action to manage and control it.

“The energy audits of government buildings will not only suggest ways to minimise energy consumption but will also alleviate the financial burden on the exchequer. The energy-saving measures derived from the exercise will also help stabilise Delhi’s overall power demand,” she said.