11 pending projects cleared by Delhi govt after LG seeks to recall files over delay in approval

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena invoked his powers to get cleared within days 11 files on important development projects of the Centre that were pending approval with the city government, officials in the LG office said on Monday.Some of the projects that were awaiting clearance included the redevelopment of GPRA Colony at Srinivaspuri that was pending since 2019, GPRA Sarojini Nagar pending since August 2021 and the Urban Extension Road UER-II by NHAI, pending since September 2021.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena invoked his powers to get cleared within days 11 files on important development projects of the Centre that were pending approval with the city government, officials in the LG office said on Monday.

Some of the projects that were awaiting clearance included the redevelopment of GPRA Colony at Srinivaspuri that was pending since 2019, GPRA Sarojini Nagar pending since August 2021 and the Urban Extension Road (UER-II) by NHAI, pending since September 2021. There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi government. The LG has approved the proposals which were sent by the Delhi Government after it was informed about invoking of provision by the LG to recall files, the officials added.

''It took the Lt. Governor, V.K. Saxena, invoking his powers to recall files in terms of Rule 19(5) of the under Transaction of Business of the GNCTD Rules (ToBR), 1993, for the Kejriwal Government to finally send 11 files of critical infrastructural importance to the LG for approval,'' said an official. Rule 19(5) of the ToBR, empowers the LG to recall files pending inordinately with ministers/chief minister, in public interest. Rule 19(5) would have forced the government to send files to the LG, irrespective of whether they approved it or not. The letter talking about invoking Rule 19(5) of the ToBR was sent on December 9.

''Once the LG Secretariat invoked the said rule, files that had been pending for years and months without any reason, were duly approved and signed by the environment minister and the chief minister within days and sent to the LG for approval,'' claimed the official. The files on clearances for translocation/afforestation of trees had been pending with the environment department for up to three years.

The officials said that the LG had consistently raised this issue of undue delay with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in many of their meetings.

He had also written twice to the chief minister on August 17 and September 30 ''flagging the inordinate and unexplained delay in granting permissions by the Environment Department'', and asked the CM to ensure speedy disposal.