Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today reviewed the entire road development plan and directed the Apex Committee headed by Financial Commissioner Development to regularly monitor the construction of the rural roads to ensure quality construction norms and timely completion besides reviewing it for regular updating. Badal in a detailed meeting with the senior officers of the PWD and Mandi Board here at Chief Minister’s Office this morning asked them to ensure speedy construction and repair of rural roads to improve upon the connectivity in view of heavy vehicular traffic in the rural areas. Badal was apprised in the meeting that out of 8600 KMs of rural roads under repair at a cost of Rs.1436 crore, 1260 KM have been completed with a cost of Rs.360 crore and the remaining would be completed by October 2014.
He was also apprised that the annual road plan of PMGSY of 1460 KMs involving a cost of Rs.480 crore had already been approved. The Chief Minister directed the Officers to complete the construction/ repair works of rural roads expeditiously and monitor the quality norms by personally overseeing the civil works on the site. He categorically stated that no laxity would be tolerated in sub-standard and below quality norms civil works and the concerned officers would be held accountable for any such lapse. He also asked the Apex Committee to inspect some roads in Majha, Doaba and Malwa and were given a norm of five roads in five districts in each region to check the quality of workmanship on random basis. Badal also asked the apex committee to get the berms along both sides of the rural roads cleared from unauthorized occupation and encroachment to ensure smooth movement of vehicular traffic without causing any inconvenience to the commuters on one hand and avert frequent accidents on these roads.
It may be recalled the Apex Committee was constituted by the Chief Minister under the chairmanship of FCD with Technical Advisor to Punjab government Lt.Gen.(Retd.) BS Dhaliwal, Secretary PWD, Chief Engineers PWD and Mandi Board as its members. The Chief Minister today in the meeting also decided to include his Principal Secretary Mr. SK Sandhu as special invitee in the apex committee to ensure far better coordination and synergy for speedy and quality construction and repair works of rural roads within the prescribed time frame.Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included PWD Minister Mr. Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Financial Commissioner Development Mr. Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Secretary PWD (B&R) Mr. PS Aujla, Chief Engineer PWD Mr.GR Bains and Chief Engineer Mandi Board Mr. RP Bhatti.