New Delhi:Delhi will be free of traffic congestion and air pollution within five years if the BJP wins the February 5 assembly polls, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari asserted on Thursday.
Laying stress on the benefits of a "double-engine" government, Gadkari said, "If there is a Modi government at the Centre and a BJP government in Delhi, the city's progress will be 10 times faster, like a bullet train."
Addressing a public meeting in Nangloi Jat, the senior BJP leader made a strong pitch for the saffron party while promising to tackle Delhi's pressing issues of air pollution, traffic congestion, and waste management.
"I give you my word. If you install a BJP engine in the city government, we will free Delhi from traffic congestion and air pollution within five years. I am making this promise," he said. He also promised to remove landfill sites and replace them with gardens and academic institutions.
"Within five years, I will clear the landfill sites. Gardens will be built there, academic institutions established... and the people of Delhi will be able to breathe fresh air," he said, emphasising the BJP's commitment to ecological balance, economic growth, and environment preservation.
Gadkari also accused the AAP government of failing to address the national capital's water and pollution crises. "The people you trusted neither cared about drinking water nor talked about the Yamuna's purification," he said. He reiterated his vision for a cleaner Yamuna, envisioning a future in which Delhi and Agra would be connected via the river.
"It was my vision to make the Yamuna clean. Seaplanes will land on the Yamuna, people from Delhi will reach Agra in 13 minutes via the river, see the Taj Mahal in two hours, and come back," he said.
Gadkari -- the Union minister of road transport and highways -- highlighted the extensive infrastructure work underway in Delhi, stating that projects worth crores were already in progress and would be completed by December.
"In the next four months, new projects worth Rs 35,000 crore will begin. This amount will increase to Rs 1 lakh crore in the coming year," he said, adding that the Centre was committed to delivering on its promises.
Highlighting improvements in road infrastructure, he cited the Dhaula Kuan traffic decongestion project and the construction of six greenfield highways.
"By December, you will be able to travel from Delhi to Mumbai in just 12 hours," he said, crediting the progress not just to himself or Prime Minister Narendra Modi but the people of Delhi for electing a BJP government at the Centre. At another rally in Jangpura, he accused the AAP government of stalling crucial projects.
"We gave money for sewage treatment plants but even 15 per cent has not been provided by the AAP government, leading to a lot of work in connection with the Yamuna's cleaning being stuck," he said. He noted that 40 per cent of Delhi's pollution was caused by vehicles.
"We have decided to stop the use of fossil fuels. We will not just make our farmers 'annadata (food providers)' but also 'indhan data (fuel providers)'," he said, citing advancements in ethanol fuel. Gadkari also highlighted the BJP's efforts to improve air quality in Delhi.
"We planned 800 hectares of open green spaces for clean air in Delhi and even held meetings with the lieutenant governor but, unfortunately, the Delhi government has not approved it. Making Delhi clean and beautiful is our resolution," he asserted.
Speaking on waste management, he said, "We found solutions for stubble burning and segregated 20 lakh tons of waste from the Ghazipur landfill to use for road construction. Delhi must be freed from garbage." Gadkari called the upcoming election a decisive moment for Delhi's future.
"This election is not about deciding the future of BJP or the Congress; it is about deciding the future of Delhi's poor citizens," he said, urging voters to support the BJP for a cleaner and better Delhi. Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5, and the votes counted on February 8.
