Delhi Budget 2025-26: Rs 12,952 Crore for Transport

New Delhi, Mar 25 (PTI) The Delhi government on Tuesday unveiled a Rs 1 lakh crore budget for 2025-26, with an allocation of Rs 12,952 crore for transport, highways, and metro expansion.

This allocation aims to transform the capital's mobility infrastructure with smoother roads, enhanced public transport, and seamless connectivity.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called it a "historic budget" that will lay the foundation for a "New" Delhi with modern highways, a world-class metro network, and one of the largest electric bus fleets globally.

A total of Rs 3,843 crore has been set aside for improving roads and bridge infrastructure across the city. The focus will be on building elevated corridors, expressways, and a smart traffic surveillance system.

The government has also allocated Rs 1,000 crore for better connectivity between Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) through the Central Roads Fund (CRF) and Urban Development Fund (UDF).

To further support infrastructure development, the newly introduced Chief Minister Development Fund has received Rs 1,400 crore, while Rs 350 crore has been set aside under the MLA Local Area Development (MLA-LAD) scheme for strengthening local roads, streetlights, and lanes.

In her address, the chief minister termed the budget "a new era for public transport", as it has received a boost, with Rs 2,929.66 crore dedicated to Delhi Metro's Phase-4 expansion, including key corridors like Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block, Inderlok-Indraprastha, and Rithala-Bawana-Narela-Nathupur (Kundli).

Besides, Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated for centrally funded urban transport projects. The government will add over 5,000 new electric buses by 2025-26 with an aim to make the city's electric bus fleet one of the largest in the world.

"Currently, Delhi has 2,152 electric buses, and our goal is to expand this to make public transport more efficient and environmentally friendly," the chief minister stated.

In a step for empowering city's auto and taxi drivers, the government has announced the formation of a Welfare Board for Informal Sector Workers, with a Rs 10 crore allocation. This board will work towards the welfare of gig workers, domestic helpers, and auto and taxi drivers, ensuring better social security and working conditions.

With an emphasis on sustainable transport solutions, the budget includes provisions for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, cycling tracks, and improved road drainage to tackle waterlogging.

The chief minister emphasised that this budget is not just about building roads and bridges but about creating the arteries of progress.

"This is a budget of action, not announcements. Delhi's connectivity will no longer just be about reducing traffic but about driving economic growth," she said.

"We have resolved that Delhi will not be just a metropolis, but will become the identity of the nation's progress and good governance. This budget is not just an economic document, but the clarion call of Delhi's rebirth. Now Delhi will neither stop nor halt - it will run, it will shine, it will create history," Gupta said in the assembly.