GURUGRAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday blamed Congress for setting back Delhi's efforts to decongest its roads and improve air quality by several years as he inaugurated the 135km Western Peripheral Expressway (or KMP).The expressway, which was scheduled to be completed in 2009 but went into a long loop of delays, was described by the PM as a case study of how to waste public money and do injustice with people. "You should have got this expressway nearly 8-9 years ago, but the previous government ensured that you did not," Modi said. "This occasion reminds me of the neglect caused by that government... Sochiye atkane, latkane aur bhatkane waali sanskriti nein Haryana ka, yahan ki janta ka, purey Delhi-NCR ka, kitna bada nuksan kiya hai (think how much loss the culture of creating obstacles, delaying and misguiding has caused to Haryana, the people, entire Delhi-NCR)."The PM was speaking at the inauguration event in Gurugram's Sultanpur, an occasion BJP wanted to portray as a show of strength by branding it a 'Jan Vikas' rally. The party put the total attendance at 30,000. "This expressway was to be put to use for the 2010 Commonwealth Games but ended up with the same fate as that of the Games. Initially, it was to be constructed for Rs 1,200 crore but due to the delay, the cost escalated three times," Modi said.The expressway (KMP for Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) cost Rs 6,500 crore to build, including the price of land. Its Palwal-Manesar portion (52km) was completed and opened in 2016. Modi on Monday inaugurated the stretch between Manesar and Kundli (83km), which will allow traffic between south Haryana and Sonipat to bypass Delhi. In combination with Eastern Peripheral Expressway, opened this May, KMP now closes the circular bypass built around Delhi to decongest it."Had KMP been completed on time, the traffic situation in Delhi would have improved significantly as heavy vehicles that are not meant to enter the national capital would have bypassed it using this expressway. Air pollution too would have decreased. However, now that this has been inaugurated, the number of heavy vehicles entering Delhi will be much less. This will benefit the economy and the environment and there will be ease of living and ease of travelling," the PM said in his 26-minute speech.Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said police patrolling vehicles would be deployed on the expressway for security and an ambulance and a recovery van would be stationed every 14km to react to accidents or any other emergency.Modi inaugurated, via video-conferencing, a 3.2-km stretch of Delhi Metro's Violet Line that now connects Kashmere Gate with the industrial hub of Ballabhgarh . He also laid the foundation stone for a skills-training university that will come up at Dudhola in Palwal.

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