The Delhi government will take up 53 road and drainage projects worth Rs 214.1 crore across 27 unauthorised colonies in five Assembly constituencies, with the work expected to benefit around 1.75 lakh residents, according to the chief minister’s office.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta laid the foundation stones for the projects on Sunday under the Seva Sankalp campaign. The programme covers Kirari, Bawana, Mundka, Narela and Nangloi Jat, areas where residents have faced inadequate roads and drainage infrastructure for years.
The projects will cover 1,062 roads and lanes. The planned works include laying around 89.82 km of roads and creating 147.69 km of drainage network across the identified colonies. A stormwater drainage network has also been proposed in Kirari to help reduce waterlogging.
Kirari will receive the largest share of the programme, with 27 projects worth Rs 105.51 crore planned across 14 unauthorised colonies. These works will cover 640 roads and lanes and include 101.42 km of drainage network.
Bawana will have nine projects costing Rs 38.83 crore, while five projects worth Rs 22.05 crore are planned in Mundka. Narela will receive four projects worth Rs 14.48 crore, and Nangloi Jat will have eight projects valued at Rs 33.25 crore.
The announcement places basic civic infrastructure in unauthorised colonies at the centre of the government’s current development programme. These settlements often have dense networks of local roads and lanes, making drainage and road upgrades dependent on work beyond major arterial routes.
Gupta said roads and drains were basic requirements and that her government would work to ensure these services reached every lane of Delhi. Public Works Department and Water Minister Parvesh Verma said development would not remain confined to main roads and would extend into unauthorised colonies.
The projects are being implemented through the city’s public works and water-related administrative machinery. Their stated scope combines road construction with drainage creation, including stormwater infrastructure in Kirari, where waterlogging has been identified as a concern.
Social Welfare Minister Ravindra Indraj Singh said adequate attention had not been paid to the development of Kirari during the previous government’s tenure. The current announcement, however, sets out project numbers and financial allocations rather than a completion schedule.
The government has not provided a project-wise construction timeline, tender schedule or stated completion date in the announcement. The next stage will involve taking forward the identified road and drainage works across the five constituencies and 27 unauthorised colonies.
