Years-old inertia pervading administration foremost challenge for Delhi govt: LG Saxena

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) The BJP-led Delhi government in its 10 months has taken several steps for public welfare while facing legacy issues such as inertia and negativity that have pervaded the administration for years, Lt Governor V K Saxena said on Monday.

Addressing the winter session of the Delhi Assembly, the LG listed healthcare, education, infrastructure and cleaning the Yamuna river among the top priorities of the government.

He also listed the achievements of the government during its tenure so far and its new policies.

Several AAP MLAs, including Sanjeev Jha, Kuldeep Kumar and Jarnail Singh, were marshalled out of the House by Speaker Vijender Gupta when they tried to speak during the LG's address.

The government, which came to power in February 2025 with overwhelming majority, is fully conscious of the inherent responsibilities of the mandate and is firmly committed to discharging them with due diligence and dedication, Saxena told the House.

"The foremost challenge before my government has been to overcome the inertia and negativity that had pervaded governance and administration for years. Within a short span of nearly 10 months, my government has taken several significant and concrete steps in this direction," he said.

Saxena acknowledged that air pollution is one of the "most serious" challenges faced by Delhi and added that clean air is not a privilege, but a "fundamental right" of every citizen.

"My government is fully committed to pollution control. Instead of limiting itself, as in previous years, to only seasonal measures, it launched a comprehensive, year-round and time-bound Air Pollution Mitigation Plan in June 2025," he said.

The condition of the Yamuna, owing to years of neglect and pollution, remains deplorable, the LG said.

"Upon assuming office, my government accorded the highest priority to the cleanliness of the Yamuna. Work on the rejuvenation of the river is being undertaken simultaneously at multiple levels," he said, citing setting up of new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and upgrade of the existing ones.

The government has so far issued 6.72 lakh Ayushman health cards, including 2.62 lakh Vay Vandana cards for senior citizens. Under the scheme, 19,287 patients have received treatment at 138 empanelled hospitals, he said.

As many as 383 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been operationalised across the city. Under the Digital India initiative, the Hospital Information Management System has been implemented in 37 hospitals.

According to Saxena, Rs 28,000 crore has been allotted for infrastructure development, including the construction of roads and flyovers. The Nand Nagri flyover work was completed before schedule and the Barapullah elevated corridor project is expected to be completed by May this year, he said.

Under the e-bus initiative, Saxena said, 3,535 buses have been inducted. Work is underway to establish 36,000 electric charging points.

To promote public transport, a provision of approximately Rs 3,300 crore has been made for Metro Phase-IV, he said.

Saxena thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of the Delhi government for the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Rail service and the Delhi section of Dwarka Expressway and Urban Extension Road II.

In a short span of time, the Delhi government has renovated 150 km of roads, and construction and redevelopment of 400 km of roads will be completed by March 2026, he said.

Further, the renovation of 600 km of roads is planned in 2026, he said. There is a plan for development of three major roads -- Delhi-MG Road, Mathura Road and Rohtak Road -- through the National Highways Authority of India.

Acknowledging waterlogging as a long-standing issue in Delhi, Saxena said around 22 lakh metric tonnes of silt has been removed from drains across the city.

The government has provided an additional grant of Rs 500 crore to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) this year for effective garbage disposal, the LG said.

Further, the government will provide an annual grant of R 300 crore to the MCD in the coming years. The government, with the goal of making Delhi a garbage-free city, aims to reduce the three mountains of waste by 2027, Saxena said, referring to the three landfill sites in the city at Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla. PTI SSM VIT DIV DIV