The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been allotted projects costing Rs 1436.32 crore for infrastructure development under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission as the national capital gets ready for the Commonwealth Games.

Ram Kishan Singhal, the Chairman of MCD's Standing Committee expressed that the projects could be completed by eight months to one year.

The projects include construction of multi-level underground parking lots, improvement and strengthening of roads, construction of grade-separator, foot-over-bridges and re-modeling of drains.

The centre is to fund 35 per cent of the amount while 15 per cent will be from the Delhi government resulting in Rs. 502.7 crore for the cash-strapped MCD.

Giving details Mr. Singal said the projects would include 16 multilevel underground unconventional parking sites with a capacity of 5443 cars, covering of nallah in Nauroji Nagar from Africa Avenue to Ring Road for providing parking/road-cum-parking, covering of nallah in Press Enclave road for providing parking/road-cum-parking, construction of grade separator at intersection of Shankar Road and Upper Ridge Road.

In another development, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday criticized the MCD for being insensitive to the poor as it had removed a temporary night shelter as part of its beautification drive for the Commonwealth Games.

An HC bench comprising Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw noted “No citizen should die due to cold or heat just because s/he doesnt have a roof over his/her head. “

As per the master plan 2021, there is a requirement of one permanent shelter for every one lakh of population resulting in a total of 140 permanent shelters for Delhi.

The court said that no shelter for the homeless must be touched by any authority for the remaining winter season and further instructed the civic authorities to make available clean bedding and blankets.