ACB To Probe ‘Irregularities' In Barapullah Elevated Road Work

Time of India

28-07-2025

New Delhi: The anti-corruption branch will investigate a case of "irregularities" in the construction of the Barapullah elevated road and the payment of Rs 175 crore in arbitration to its contractor, govt said in a statement on Monday.
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The decision was taken by chief minister Rekha Gupta on Monday while chairing a meeting of the expenditure finance committee to review the construction of the road between Sarai Kale Khan and Mayur Vihar under phase-III expansion of the project. PWD minister Parvesh Verma and other senior officials were also present.
Delhi govt, in its statement, said that concerns were raised over the public works department's (PWD) "negligence" and the prolonged delays in the project.
"The chief minister instructed senior officials to ensure its timely completion, noting that the payment was necessitated because the previous govt prevented the company from executing the work," the statement read. Officials, privy to the discussion in the meeting, said Gupta called the project "yet another example of corruption and negligence under the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt".
Responding to the allegations, AAP said the investigations launched by BJP govt were an "excuse" to avoid real work.
While the elevated road was scheduled for completion in Oct 2017, it was repeatedly delayed and eventually went into arbitration. "The ruling favoured the contractor with an award of Rs 120 crore. When the payment was withheld, the company approached the high court, which, in May 2023, ordered the PWD to pay Rs 175 crore, including interest and GST. The sum was subsequently paid during the tenure of then PWD minister Atishi," govt said in the statement.
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Officials said the chief minister slammed the previous AAP govt for neither filing a review petition nor acting against the officers responsible for the arbitration award, adding that the payout hampered other PWD schemes. "She also disclosed that the contractor initially offered to settle the dispute for Rs 35 crore, but the proposal was ignored, resulting in the escalation of the matter to the high court," the statement read.
The minister also noted the possibility of PWD officials being complicit in the irregularities and said their actions would also be scrutinised under the vigilance inquiry. She, however, added that the investigation would not hinder the project's progress and reiterated govt's commitment to completing it within the stipulated time frame.
While the project was planned in 2011, the tender was floated in 2014. The 3.5 km-long elevated road was initially held due to the delays in acquiring land parcels along the Yamuna floodplain, which were under private control, and later for the want of permission to fell over 300 trees.
Officials informed the chief minister that the project would gain pace soon, as the permission for the removal of trees was expected shortly.
"The chief minister stressed that no further delays would be tolerated and assured adequate budgetary support to complete the project, which is expected to significantly ease traffic between south and east Delhi," govt statement read.
Meanwhile, AAP in a statement said the BJP's "four-engine govt" failed to take a single meaningful step to address the concerns of ordinary citizens, despite being more than five months in power, and focused its energies on "delay, deflection, and distraction" by "flooding" the system with "raids, investigations, and baseless cases".
"Jail whoever you want, file as many cases as you like — nothing will come of it, because there's nothing to find," AAP said, adding, "These investigations are not instruments of governance — they're excuses to avoid real work."