Who’s stealing Delhi’s flowers and tiles?

NEW DELHI - Someone is stealing the bloom from Delhi’s beautification plans for the Commonwealth Games. Reports of theft of expensive ornamental plants, tiles and streetlights have prompted the government to appeal to the people “not to steal these things”.

The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government, engaged in projects for the upgradation and beautification of the city for the mega event in October, is grappling with the disappearance of articles used in plantation, street-scaping and streetlight works.

“The fear of theft is there, especially where costly tiles and flowers are being put up to beautify the city. We appeal to people not to steal these things as these are meant for them and the city,” PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan told IANS.

It comes at a time when the city government led by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is already worried over the delay of Games-related projects by the PWD, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other civic agencies.

Even as police refuse to comment, the state government has received reports of theft of costly plants and tiles for the purpose of street-scaping along busy roads like Africa Avenue, August Kranti Marg and Siri Fort Road, an official said.

There have also been some instances of theft of streetlights put up on major city roads ahead of the Oct 3-14 Games.

While streetlight work is being done at a stretch of 471 km, the central verges and horticulture development is continuing on 275 km-long city roads.

The focus is also on the beautification of flyovers through in-house artists and consultants. Under the plan, the city government is buying costly plants and international standard tiles for nearly 40 flyovers, including at Naraina, Azadpur and Ring Road.

“We have bought some beautiful flowers, plants and tiles for decorating city roads. Some of the plants even cost Rs.2,500 per article while others are even costlier. A few flowers have been brought from foreign countries. The PWD will plant nearly 25 lakh (2.5 million) trees in the city,” Chouhan said.

The government is also engaged in the completion of specially-designed 66 foot overbridges with crores of rupees spent on them.

“The contractors engaged in infrastructure-related works have been asked to protect these items from theft. They have also been asked to secure it at least till the Commonwealth Games, after which we will take a call on the issue,” Chouhan said.

At the under-construction Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, a special variety of flowers and plants brought from Thailand and Saudi Arabia are also being used.

The civic agencies in the capital like PWD and MCD have been asked by the centre to arrange as many as six million ornamental plants for beautification purpose of Delhi, including Games sites.

(Rajeev Ranjan Dwivedi can be contacted at rajeev.r@ians.in)