Holes in Delhi govt's 'savings' claims

Most flyover projects were started by the previous govt; costs could be slashed because of designs used by PWD

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's claims in full-page newspaper advertisements of achieving 'huge savings' through its 'corruption-free and honest administration' in its first year in office, have raised eyebrows. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, for instance, claimed it had saved Rs 125 crore on construction of an elevated road (flyover) and brought down the cost of a dispensary from Rs 5 crore to Rs 20 lakh. According to the chief minister, the previous governments in Delhi were starved of funds because of their mindless spending habits, while his administration's 'savings' helped subsidise power and water bills. The Opposition attacked the government claims as "exaggeration" and "an attempt to take false credit".

Significantly, the full-page advertisements by the Delhi government do not mention any specific flyover project. The ad states, "Rs 325 crore was the estimated cost of construction of an elevated road. The government completed the work within Rs 200 crore, thereby saving Rs 125 crore."

A closer look at the key elevated road projects completed by the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) in the past few months - on the Outer Ring Road; between Prembari Pul and Azadpur; between Mangolpuri and Madhuban Chowk; and from Madhuban Chowk to Mukarba Chowk - shows that these were conceptualised, tendered and construction started during the previous Congress government regime in 2013, when Sheila Dikshit was the CM. The Kejriwal-led AAP government came to power only in February 2015.

The 1.6-km, six-lane elevated road between Prembari Pul and Azadpur was initially estimated in June 2012 to cost Rs 247.17 crore. The tendered amount in February 2013 was Rs 182 crore. PWD sources say that thanks to a 'design innovation', costs could be slashed at the initial stage itself. Engineers studied the structural designs of existing flyovers, which rested on two pillars and decided on innovating it to a single-pillar design. For the first time in Delhi, a six-lane carriageway was placed on a single pillar, thereby bringing down the cost by an 20 per cent per sq metre. It consequently also entailed savings on material, land and labour. "This innovation was possible due to the use of not just pre-cast concrete but pre-stressed concrete technology as well, which made the pillars sleeker and, therefore, lighter. It has enabled us to rest a stretch of 24.5-metre wide (six lanes) on a single pillar (located on the central verge) whose base is a mere three metres wide," explained an official.

This elevated corridor was inaugurated by Kejriwal in November 2015, seven months later than its completion date. The delay was caused not at the government level but due to the ongoing Delhi Metro construction. Delays in other stretches of elevated road construction over the past few months have been due to the National Green Tribunal staying the felling of trees. The final expenditure for the Prembari Pul and Azadpur elevated corridor was Rs 145 crore - a saving of Rs 37 crore compared to the Rs 182 crore that was the tender amount.

What also helped in savings was that PWD contracts insisted on an escalation and de-escalation clause, linked to the market price of materials. According to an official, actual expenditures are also dependent on the quantity of material dumped at the work site and not the figures mentioned in the tender.

AAP's PWD minister Satyendra Jain being a technocrat, he closely monitors the progress of projects and takes the initiative to coordinate with other agencies to remove hindrances, say sources.

Kejriwal inaugurated two other flyovers in January 2016 this year. The 1.6-km stretch between Mangolpuri and Madhuban Chowk and another flyover from Madhuban Chowk to Mukarba Chowk. Again, the single-pillar design innovation during the Dikshit regime brought down the preliminary costs on both these projects with both being executed within Rs 300 crore each. The initial amount for the first was Rs 423 crore, but costs came down to Rs 289 crore when tendered in March 2013. For the latter, the preliminary estimate was Rs 421 crore but it got reduced to Rs 279.9 crore when tendered in March 2013.

Government sources disclose that such cutting down on costs has been a feature with earlier projects as well but it was never advertised by earlier regimes. The Barapullah extended corridor was estimated to cost Rs 500 crore; the PWD ensured it made a saving of Rs 80 crore.

While the AAP government's claims of savings on flyovers might be off the mark, it can legitimately stake claim to cutting down wasteful expenditure in the health sector. The government's decision to replace the dispensaries with the 'mohalla clinics' as the first point of medical care for the local community has been a revolutionary concept. It has been based on the realisation that the existing dispensary buildings with several rooms were practically non-functional. The mohalla clinic, located in the midst of a locality, is a single-room pre-fabricated structure with only a single doctor - a general practitioner - and an assistant manning it. To save on costs and space, the clinic is slated to utilise technology-enabled innovations, which will replace the conventional pharmacy and medical testing laboratory.

Innovations such as a vending machine dispensing medicines according to patients' requirements are still in the testing phase. The health department has proposed to have Wi-Fi-enabled services at these clinics, so that each patient's medical records can also be uploaded on their individual smart cards. The health department is also trying to get simple blood tests at these clinics. A pilot project of a mohalla clinic has already kicked off at Peeragarhi. The government has awarded tenders for 1,000 such pre-fabricated structures at Rs 20 lakh each to Punj Lloyd.