*Kejriwal Government launches mega-drive to make PWD roads pothole free within a week; Dy CM Manish Sisodia directs officials to immediately identify and repair all roads

*Incessant rains in the past two weeks have caused much damage to roads in the capital,to avoid any inconvenience to the people, PWD will begin the maintenance work immediately- Dy CM Manish Sisodia

*PWD officers should inspect all the roads under their jurisdiction and get them repaired promptly as per the need, status report must be submitted within a week- Dy CM Manish Sisodia

*Under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, we are committed to providing strong, beautiful and safe roads to the people of Delhi - Dy CM Manish Sisodia

To ensure this Deputy Chief Minister and PWD Minister of Delhi Shri Manish Sisodia has directed the top officials of PWD to inspect all the roads under their jurisdiction immediately and get them repaired as soon as possible. Along with this, the PWD Minister has also directed the officials to submit the status report of the road maintenance works within a week.

Shri Manish Sisodia said, “Delhi has witnessed heavy rainfall in the past two weeks, which has caused much damage to the roads across the capital. This is leading to inconvenience to the commuters. Taking cognizance of the situation, the government has directed the PWD officials to get the roads under their jurisdiction repaired and pothole free within a week.”

He added that about 1400 km of roads in Delhi are under PWD, whereas other roads are with MCD/ DDA/ NDMC/ NHAI etc. Thus, it is the responsibility of PWD to strengthen and maintain these 1400 km of roads regularly. The Delhi Government is committed to providing pothole-free roads to the people of Delhi with regular maintenance work.

*Roads damaged due to heavy rains will be pothole free within a week*

Shri Manish Sisodia said, “The higher officials of PWD have been directed to get the roads inspected under PWD’s jurisdiction immediately by the concerned Divisional/Executive Engineer and repair all potholes on the road within a week. Along with this, they have also been instructed to submit the status report of this entire work within a week.”

He added that under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, we are committed to providing strong, smooth and safe roads to the people of Delhi. In this direction, PWD is working continuously to improve the quality of roads across Delhi.

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*Dy CM Manish Sisodia attends State Power Ministers Meet in Udaipur; bats for Delhi-like electricity model across the country

*Making electricity prices flexible like that of petrol and diesel will prove to be dangerous for the public, and the rates will never come under control- Dy CM Manish Sisodia

*If the electricity rates will fluctuate on the basis of prices of the other commodities in the market, this step of the central government can prove to be dangerous and all the burden will come on the common public- Dy CM Manish Sisodia

*In the 21st century electricity is a basic necessity; in such a situation governments’ focus should be on providing 24 hours power supply to the public at affordable rates or for free to the poor public - Dy CM Manish Sisodia

*Dy CM Manish Sisodia weighs in on free electricity debate, says, “Government of the states whose financial condition is bad, did not give free electricity to the public, these governments did not use the public's tax money properly which led to their poor economic conditions”

*People pay taxes to the government and expect good education, health, electricity, water, road, security and employment facilities; it is absolutely wrong to think that “How can we provide cheap or free facilities with tax money?”-Dy CM Manish Sisodia

NEW DELHI:14.10.22-Deputy Chief Minister Shri Manish Sisodia attended the meeting of state power and energy ministers from all over the country in Udaipur on Friday. Electricity ministers of all states, officers of the electricity department, and electricity commissions participated in this meeting called by the central government. Various important issues like the financial condition of power companies operating in different states, installation of smart electricity meters, and increasing production of renewable energy like solar energy, wind power, etc. were discussed during the meeting. In the meeting, it was also told by the Central Government that the government is going to introduce a system in which the current method of determining electricity rates will change. Electricity prices will fluctuate continuously on the basis of the current status of power subsidies. The power subsidy model being given in various states was also discussed in the meeting.

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Manish Sisodia represented Delhi in the aforementioned meeting and said, “Making electricity prices flexible like that of petrol and diesel will prove to be dangerous for the public and will never come under control like petrol and diesel. If the rates of electricity will be decided on the basis of fluctuations in rates of other commodities then the prices of electricity will also go sky high and this will impact the common public.” He added that the main goal of the governments should not be to run the power companies for profit but to ensure 24 hours power supply to people at affordable rates or for free to poor people.

He added that in the 21st-century electricity is a basic necessity. In such a situation, instead of hiking the electricity prices, the central government should focus on ensuring 24 hours power supply to the common man and on affordable rates. Speaking on the issue of free electricity, Manish Sisodia said, “The governments of the states whose financial condition is bad, they did not give free electricity to the public, these governments did not use the tax money of the public properly which led to their poor economic health. People pay taxes to the government expecting that they will be provided with better health, electricity, water, road, security and employment facilities. Ensuring these facilities is the responsibility of the governments. In such a situation it is very wrong to think that “how cheap or free facilities can be given with tax money.”

During the meeting, Shri Manish Sisodia strongly insisted on the fact that such a fluctuation in electricity rates will impact the common public badly. At present, the electricity regulatory commissions of different states fix the rates of electricity keeping several facts in consideration. These include the items of expenses of electricity companies, salaries of employees, etc. But if this system is removed and the new system is introduced and the prices of electricity are made flexible like the price of petrol-diesel, then it will prove to be dangerous for the public. Due to this, the price of electricity will never come under control like petrol-diesel. The entire burden of this will fall on the common people and they will have to face a lot of difficulties. To avoid any inconvenience to the common public, the central government should reconsider this step.

In a joint meeting of the Union Minister of Power and State Power and Energy Ministers, Shri Manish Sisodia said that the work of governments, and especially that of Energy Ministers and officials of energy departments is not to run power companies for profit. Their main work is to provide 24 hours a day to the general public at very cheap prices and free electricity to poor people. Therefore, our first focus should be on how we can provide 24 hours power supply to the common public at affordable prices.

During the meeting, an issue was raised that until when electricity should be provided at cheaper rates to the public from the taxpayers’ money. Responding to this, Shri Manish Sisodia said, “Why does the public pay tax after all? The expectation of the public behind paying taxes is that the government will give them good schools, provide good health facilities, provide sufficient power supply and water supply, build good roads and provide security. But gradually everything is being brought under this purview that the public should not get all these facilities from tax money.”

He added that, moving on with the same mindset of “until when from taxpayers’ money”, private schools were promoted. Private hospitals were promoted to avoid the use of taxpayers’ money to provide quality health services. Expensive toll taxes were imposed on the roads. The security arrangements kept on failing and the question was raised as to how long will people be given security from the tax money. So following this concept, many people started keeping private security guards in their localities-colonies, institutions, and homes. The same question was raised for water that till when people would be given water with tax money and gradually water also became expensive. He raised the question that how the government wants to use the taxpayers’ money if providing basic amenities is not on their agenda?

The question of states taking undue loans on the pretext of providing basic amenities to the people and their deteriorating economic condition was also raised during the meeting. Arguing on this, Manish Sisodia said that in the states whose economic condition is worst, free electricity is not given to the public. In such a situation, the reason behind the poor financial condition of these states cannot be attributed to free electricity.

He said that the governments of the states whose financial condition is deteriorating day by day did not use the taxpayers’ money properly, did not stop corruption, and did not do the right management of their resources. Till now, in the states whose economic condition is worst, no free electricity was ever given to the public there. Rather, electricity and water are being made expensive in these states. Shri Manish Sisodia said that it is the job of the government to provide basic amenities to the public with the money of taxes and it is very important for every government to ensure this.

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*Delhi Government’s Smog Towers reducing air pollution by 70-80% up to 50 metres

*Environment Minister Gopal Rai visits Smog Tower in Connaught Place

*Smog Tower has noticeable impact in reducing pollution up to 300 metres: Gopal Rai

*Smog Tower reduces air pollution by 70-80% within 50 metres and by 15-20% up to 300 metres: Gopal Rai

NEW DELHI:14.10.22-After making giant leaps in its fight against pollution the Delhi Government is working rapidly to scale up its efforts. In this sequence, Environment Minister Shri Gopal Rai visited the Smog Tower in Connaught Place to review its performance and efficacy. He also showed optimism that one day, Delhi will indigenously develop the technology to build low-cost smog towers. He said, “Delhi Government’s Smog Towers are reducing air pollution by 70-80% up to 50 metres. Smog Tower has a noticeable impact in reducing pollution up to 300 metres. Smog Tower reduces air pollution by 70-80% within 50 metres and by 15-20% up to 300 metres: Gopal Rai.”

Environment Minister Shri Gopal Rai said, “The Delhi Government, under the leadership of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, has taken several immediate and long-term initiatives to reduce the pollution level. Moreover, we are making constant efforts to implement technological solutions to address this issue. As per the order of the Supreme Court, we started installing smog towers in Delhi last year. Across the globe, China has used such smog towers, but it has a different technology. It used to suck the air from the bottom and release it from the top. On the basis of the technology developed by the University of Minnesota, a pilot project was started by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and DPCC last year after October rains. Teams from IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and DPCC are continuously monitoring this project by running the fan on different capacities, weathers and distances to understand the impact in several ranges.”

He added, “The team has submitted the first study report after completion of one year. As per this report, the average performance of this smog tower is having an impact of 70-80% up to a distance of 50 metres in reducing pollution. However, when the distance is increased to 300 metres, its impact is reduced by 15-20%. We have observed that smog towers have shown a noticeable impact up to the range of 300 metres. Beyond that range, the smog towers are not that impactful because of several reasons.”

Shri Gopal Rai said, “However, since the smog towers were established for the first time, we are still in the experiment phase of using different technological instruments. The team is making an improvement in all the difficulties it has come across. Since the pilot project is of two years, they will continue their study for next one year, especially the upcoming winters when the pollution is at its peak. Afterwards, the team will submit the final report. The government will take further decisions based on that report.”

Shri Gopal Rai concluded, “Second, we also made another request to the team to find ways to reduce the cost involved in multiplying the smog towers across Delhi, since the cost of this pilot project was around Rs 20 crores. The entire team is working to make it a low-cost technology and changes required in it keeping in mind the condition of Delhi. I am completely optimistic they will be successful in preparing a technology through their research to develop low-cost smog towers suitable to the condition of Delhi. The Delhi Government will formulate the future strategy on the basis of the outcome of that report.

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*First-ever Tactical Urbanism trial to reduce road accidents launched on a bridge in India by DDC in partnership with Save Life Foundation and BYPL

*Between 2018 and 2021, Delhi’s Signature Bridge–also a tourist attraction–witnessed 53 road crashes and 17 fatalities

*Structural changes undertaken through redesigning under the project have already led to an 83% increase in the availability of safe pedestrian zone and public realm at and around the Signature Bridge

*This is the fifth Tactical Urbanism trial in Delhi, with the four previous ones conducted at Bhalswa Chowk, Rajghat Intersection, Gandhi Vihar and Burari Chowk

*The trials so far have proven that such low-cost solutions can have a significant impact by reducing the number of road crash fatalities on target sites and stretches to zero: Jasmine Shah, VC, DDC

*The reduction of speed through the additional speed calming measures put in place during this trial will help reduce over-speeding and make the stretch safer for all road users visiting the Bridge: Chandra Kumar Singh, DCP, Traffic (North and Central District)*

*Under SLF’s ‘Zero Fatality Corridor’ model, data and evidence is used to ascertain the best possible solution for saving lives by minimising road crashes and consequent fatalities: Piyush Tewari, CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation*

NEW DELHI:14.10.22-To save lives and make Delhi roads safe for all, the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi launched a month-long ‘Tactical Urbanism Trial’ at the Signature Bridge, connecting Wazirabad across Yamuna to East Delhi, under the aegis of its ‘Delhi@2047’ initiative. DDC has been working to reduce all preventable road crash fatalities and injuries on the selected high-fatality intersections in Delhi by facilitating their adoption for tactical urbanism trials.

Between 2018 and 2021, the Signature Bridge had witnessed 53 road crashes and 17 fatalities. The structural changes undertaken through redesigning under the project have already led to an *83% increase* in the availability of a safe pedestrian zone and public realm at and around the Signature Bridge. The impact on reducing conflict points on the bridge, being undertaken by narrowing of merging and diverging angles and approach lanes, will be quantified after the trial concludes on November 6, 2022.

This is the fifth Tactical Urbanism trial in Delhi, with the four previous ones conducted at Bhalswa Chowk, Rajghat Intersection, Gandhi Vihar and Burari Chowk. These trials were aimed at transforming high-fatality intersections in Delhi into safe intersections that are accessible to all, as well as enhance appreciation for road safety among road users through a large-scale public awareness campaign.

The Tactical Urbanism trial at the Rajghat Intersection reduced pedestrian conflict by 32% and vehicular conflict by 81%. Similarly, at Bhalswa Chowk, the Tactical Redesigning led to a 50% reduction in pedestrian conflict with fast-moving traffic. At Burari Chowk, the intervention resulted in reduction of pedestrian exposure distance by 51% and exposure time by 52%. Based on the findings of these trials, permanent interventions have been suggested to the civic agencies.

SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), BSES Yamuna Power Limited, Delhi Traffic Police, the Delhi Transport Department and road owing agencies including PWD (Central and Northeast) and Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) are working in close partnership for carrying out these trials.

Speaking about the need to support such interventions, Shri Jasmine Shah, Vice Chairperson of DDC, said, “Road safety is a critical public safety issue and the Delhi Government is committed to continuously finding unique, innovative solutions for the same. DDC has envisaged the ‘Tactical Urbanism’ trials under its Delhi@2047 initiative, which leverages deep, sustained collaborations between government, civil society and private sector to realize CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal's vision of making Delhi the no. 1 city in the world by 2047. The trials are aimed at proposing and finding proof-of-concept for solutions that address the challenges identified on Delhi’s roads, and these solutions have the potential to impact millions of beneficiaries for a long period of time. The trials so far have proven that such low-cost solutions can have a significant impact by reducing the number of road crash fatalities on target sites and stretches to zero."

He added, "Signature Bridge is an architectural landmark in India, it should also become a benchmark for road safety across India. I congratulate Save Life Foundation and BSES Yamuna for joining hands with the Delhi Government to make this vision a reality. Unfortunately, 53 road crashes and 17 fatalities have taken place here over last 4 years. The 'Tactical Urbanism' approach especially focuses on safeguarding the most vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and other two-wheeler riders. By testing out and scaling up effective urban design, transportation planning and infrastructural changes, such as this under the ‘Dehi@2047’ initiative, we will be enhancing road safety for all road users."

Inaugurated in November 2018, Delhi’s Signature Bridge cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge is India’s first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge. Launched as both a tourist attraction and a means of reducing travel time for commuters plying between north and northeast Delhi, the Signature Bridge connects Wazirabad across the Yamuna to the inner city.

Innovative, low-cost measures have been adopted at the bridge temporarily to measure their impact on the following issues identified as possible causes of accidents there.

*Over-speeding*: 9 sets of Transverse Bar Markings (TBMs) have been used along the main carriageway of the bridge as speed calming measures. Each set of TBMs comprise six bars that are 150 mm wide, 300 mm apart, and 5 to 7.5 mm high, with an additional layer of thermoplast applied over existing rumblers to enhance their effect. These will encourage motorists to reduce speed through a rumbling effect felt while they drive over them. Additionally, all the measures mentioned below help reduce speeding.

*Lack of safe space to stop/halt (for a short time span)*: Provided dedicated pick-up and drop-off zones. In addition, provided mixed use space for short-term halting of vehicles away from the carriageway.

*High conflict at merging and diverging approaches*: Extended diverging and merging edges through temporary measures such as spring posts, road dieting/road geometry correction, reduction of diverging and merging angles

*Lack of information signages and hazard markers/delineators*: Installation of signanges like hazard markers, directional signages, informational signanges, under-surveillance signages and those prohibiting wrong side movement. In addition horixontal directional signages have also been painted.

*Insufficient lighting/lack of illumination*: In one zone towards Khajoori Khaas, insufficient lighting/lack of illumination was observed and addressed by installation of cat-eye/road stud and demarcation of edge lines.

Tactical Urbanism (TU) is an on-ground test of urban infrastructure, street design and other public amenities to improve road safety and walkability. It is an internationally proven technique that helps test quick, cost-effective, temporary alterations and improvements (using barricades, paint, and cones) to the existing infrastructure and urban design of dangerous crash-prone areas, also known as ‘Black Spots,’ to make them safe for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized transport users.

An essential component of these trials is road space redistribution to ensure modal equity, road geometrics modification, traffic channelisation, vehicular speed reduction, and the addition of pedestrian and cyclist safety infrastructure. After documenting public’s response, if the trial is successful in its goal, it can be made permanent via the implementation by appropriate authorities.

Elaborating on the road safety situation at the Signature Bridge, Shri Chandra Kumar Singh, DCP, Traffic (North and Central District), said, “Ever since its inauguration, the Signature Bridge has experienced a high level of over speeding, especially of goods/ commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. The speed limit in this section is 40 km/hr for HCVs and 60 km/hr for cars. This unsafe road practice has been witnessed both during the day hours as well as night time leading to multiple road crashes and fatalities as per the FIR data shared by SHO Timarpur Tribhuvan Negi. The reduction of speed through the additional speed calming measures put in place during this trial will help reduce over-speeding and make the stretch safer for all road users visiting the Bridge. It is important that motorists take cognisance of these speed calming measures and signages and use them correctly for a safer commute for all.”

Shri Piyush Tewari, CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation said, “Road crashes are a significant cause of death and disability in India. Under SLF’s ‘Zero Fatality Corridor’ model, data and evidence is used to ascertain the best possible solution for saving lives by minimising road crashes and consequent fatalities. Proven solutions are shared with the Delhi Government to make these measures permanent and replicate them. We are grateful to DDC, BSES Yamuna Power Limited, Delhi Police, Delhi Transport Department, PWD (Central and Northeast) and DTTDC for working with us towards improving road safety in Delhi."