Expressing concern over poor condition of roads, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday directed the PWD officers particularly Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers to regularly review the progress of maintenance of roads. He made these remarks during the meeting with the officers of the Public Works Department (PWD) virtually from Shimla to ensure that commuters do not face any inconvenience.
Thakur said Chief Engineers must regularly monitor the progress of maintenance in their respective zones and higher authorities must regularly be made aware of the same.
The delay in floating tenders for tarring of roads would be viewed seriously and stern action would be taken against defaulting officers, he said, while calling for special thrust on quality work so that commuters do not face any inconvenience.
He stated that roads are the lifelines of Himachal Pradesh as there were limited means of connectivity due to its hilly terrains and the state government was according to a top priority for construction and maintenance of the roads.
He directed the officers to put earnest efforts to improve the conditions of roads by execution of periodic renewal, patchwork, metalling, and tarring of PMGSY, NABARD, and other roads so that commuters could travel comfortably.
All tenders for repairs, renewal, and blacktopping of roads should be completed well in time so that works could be started at the earliest to facilitate the people, the CM said.
He further stated that the Public Works department has achieved 75 per cent of the targets fixed for state and PMGSY roads under Annual Maintenance Plan 2021-22 by undertaking works on 1,798 km of roads by spending an amount of Rs 228 crore.
A target of 1,950.59 km has been fixed under Annual Maintenance Plan 2022-23 for maintenance and other allied activities of the state and PMGSY roads.
There were 131 plants in the state for undertaking bituminous activities out of which 63 plants had started their functioning, he added.
He directed the officers to start the remaining plants at the earliest so that people could undertake their journey comfortably.
Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh, Principal Secretary PWD Subhasish Panda, and other senior officers were present in the meeting.