Giving the city a world-class look and enhancing infrastructure ahead of the Commonwealth Games became the top priority of the Delhi government in 2010 while dwindling revenue and unprecedented rains posed as major challenges to it.
The build up to the event -- biggest in India after the 1982 Asiad -- was blighted by construction delays and preparations went virtually down the wire, raising apprehensions about the city's ability to host the Games.
The government had to grapple with harsh criticism for missed deadlines, complaints of shoddy construction works and allegations of corruption in CWG spendings in the run-up to the sporting extravaganza.
The outburst became more intense particularly when an under-construction foot overbridge outside the main Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium fell off just weeks before the event, injuring 27 labourers.
The army later constructed a Bailey bridge at the site but the collapse saw stepped-up global criticism about Delhi's overall preparation for the October 3-14 Games.
Amidst negative media publicity leading to lack of public enthusiasm about the Games, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit appealed to people to celebrate the event as a "national festival" while blaming absence of coordination and multiplicity of authorities for the delays.
However, after the successful hosting of the Games, a beaming Dikshit announced that the city was "now confident" of hosting even the Olympics as it developed world class stadia and other infrastructure.
The government spent over Rs 16,000 crore on building new flyovers, bridges, underpasses, foot overbridges and widening and strengthening arterial roads, besides beautifying areas near the venues, enhancing the power distribution network and boosting medical facilities.
Another important development was the clearance of the mercy petition file of Afzal Guru, sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case, by Delhi government after sitting over it for nearly four years. Clearing the file, the government sent it to the Centre unambiguously backing the Supreme Court's verdict of capital punishment to Guru.
Alongside, while racing against time, unprecedented monsoon rains in September further delayed construction works and brought with it the perennial problem of large-scale water-logging and traffic mess.
Heavy rains and release of over 60 lakh cusecs of water by neighbouring Haryana into Yamuna in mid-September resulted in the river's water level surging by over two metres above the danger mark and inundating several low-lying areas in East Delhi. The government had to evacuate and provide food and shelter to over 4,000 people for a couple of weeks.
Rising cases of dengue just ahead of the CWG also gave sleepless nights to the city government which took series of measures to contain it.
The government had to face embarrassment when Central Vigilance Commission in a report in July pointed large-scale procedural violations, use of sub-standard material and financial irregularities in six CWG projects carried out by its public works department.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and CVC are now carrying out scrutiny of various CWG projects implemented by the city government.
Facing fund crunch due to huge spending in the Commonwealth Games, the government in the annual budget increased VAT on a whole range of products including diesel and high-end mobiles and withdrew Rs 40 subsidy on cooking gas cylinder to fetch an additional Rs 1,100 crore.
In his Rs 26,000 crore budget, Finance Minister A K Walia also decided to impose a 5 per cent tax on CNG.
However, bowing to opposition pressure, government later withdrew a 4 per cent VAT on cooking gas giving a Rs 12-13 relief to consumers though it did not roll back the withdrawal of subsidy for LPG cylinders. The government also withdrew the 5 per cent VAT on CNG while slashing the VAT on diesel to 12.5 per cent from the proposed 20 per cent.
In the Winter session, the assembly passed a resolution seeking full statehood for Delhi.
The city witnessed one of the worst accidents in recent years when a four-storey building collapsed in East Delhi's Laxmi Nagar on November 15 that claimed 71 lives. A government probe exposed the threat posed by illegal constructions and flouting of building laws by builder mafia.
At the fag end of the year, Delhiites felt the pinch of skyrocketing prices as onion rates soared to Rs 75-85 a kg. However, the prices began to come down following a series of initiatives by the Centre as well as the Delhi government.
The state also brought in new legislations in the Delhi Excise Act, which came into effect in October, that consuming alcohol at public places will attract a fine of Rs 5,000 instead of earlier Rs 200 and if the offender creates nuisance than the fine will be up to Rs 10,000 with a jail term of three months.
The Act also provides for very strict punishment for those involved in mixing noxious drug or ingredient in liquor.
In May, in a unusual move, the Delhi government stalled city's power regulator DERC's decision to announce new electricity tariff for the year 2010-11 till it examines demands from discoms to increase the rates.
The DERC, which was making last minute preparations to announce the new tariff for 2010-11, after receiving the directive indicated that it had planned to cut down the tariff by 20 to 25 per cent as discoms would have a surplus of around Rs 4,000 crore if the existing tariff was not tinkered with.
After retirement of DERC chairman Berjinder Singh in September, the other two members of the regulator, however, sent an advice to government justifying the need for increasing the tariff. The high court, however, restrained DERC from announcing any new tariff.
Coming under pressure from auto unions, government in June effected a 35 per cent hike in auto and taxi fares following rise in CNG prices.
