J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) organized a daylong workshop on “Road Asset Management” here today where in the Minister for Roads & Buildings and Mechanical Engineering Abdul Majid Wani was the chief guest.The workshop being a part of the Capacity Building Component of Asian Development Bank funded for Multi Sector Project for Infrastructure Rehabilitation was organized with the objective to get acquainted the participants about the practices being adopted in Road Asset Management System in and outside the country. Addressing on the occasion, the Minister termed the engineering community a valuable human resource of the society that plays special role for architecting and creating infrastructure for the best use of the society. He asked engineers to work with missionary spirit while delivering their services to the society. He hailed the concerted efforts of the engineering community for constructing tunnels, roads and railway lines in hilly and inaccessible areas.Mr. Wani underscored need for proper management of existing assets and their best use. He also called for adopting latest and innovative techniques in construction of sustainable infrastructure within the limited available resources of the state. He said that the State has meager resources of its own and mostly dependent on the central funding, therefore, the engineers should formulate projects which can run for long time but need less maintenance, he added.
Referring to introduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) in the department, the Minister asked the Administrative Secretary R&B for conducting interactive session with the engineering fraternity for its best use and fruitful results.Mr Majeed said that Roads & Buildings Department is the asset creating department of the government which develops assets like roads and buildings for the use of community. He said, apart from construction of roads and buildings, the department needs to expand its ambit towards development of shopping malls on the vacant land of department for the creation of its own resources.Calling for organizing more such workshops, the Minister said that the deliberations of the workshop would prove beneficial for the participants by keeping them abreast about the latest techniques introduced in road management.Commissioner Secretary, Roads & Buildings Mrs Tanvir Jehan, Chief Executive Officer ERA, Mr. Tahseen Mustafa also spoke on the occasion and dwelt in detail on the topic related to construction of new roads and scientific management of durability of roads.Chief Scientist from Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi Mr. Tarun K Amla suggested for organizing regular refresher programmes for engineers and the capacity building programmes for the contractors and their staff.
Among others, Development Commissioner, Works, Ishtaq Ahmad Hamaal, Chief Engineer, R&B, Jammu Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Chief Engineer, Mughal Road, Er. Bipal Tikoo, Director, Transport J&K ERA, DD Gorkha, Director, Finance, ERA Shagufta Qazi, experts including Mr. K Sitaramanjaneyulu, Dr. Devesh Tiwari, Mr. Prashant Joshi and Mr. Pardeep Kumar besides engineers from line departments attended the workshop.