The Principal Secretary Public Works Department, Shailendra Kumar today asked the engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) to use engineering wisdom and professional standards for accomplishing the tasks on time.The Principal Secretary made these remarks while chairing the review meeting of languishing projects executed by the department funded by J&K Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC).Development Commissioner (Works), Sami Arif; Executive Director JKIDFC, Shamim Ahmad Wani; Chief Engineer (R&B) Kashmir, Showkat Jeelani; Director Finance, Mazhar Hussain were present in the meeting.Chief Engineer (R&B) Jammu, Ashok Kumar; Executive Director, JKPCC, N.D Khawaja and all Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers participated in the meeting through video conferencing.The Principal Secretary asked the officers to meet deadlines for completion of the projects. He asked them to avoid cost escalation and time overruns as it attributes to non-professional conduct on part of the executing agencies.Kumar also advised the officers to devote to public all such projects that have been completed.
He took stock of all the projects sponsored by JKIDFC under the languishing category.Kumar asked for the physical and financial progress of all the projects taken under this category. He also asked for the details of bills uploaded for payment. He further enquired about the reasons for not uploading the bills, wherever the same remained undone.The Principal Secretary asked the departments to use their resources optimally. He advised JKPCC to use the patronage extended by the government effectively so that the corporation rises on the ladder of success briskly.The meeting was informed that some 632 languishing projects across the districts of J&K have been approved by the Finance Department at a cost of Rs 1460 crore through JKIDFC. Many of the projects have already been completed with rest of them at different phases of completion through different executing agencies.The meeting further revealed that 30 projects with a cumulative cost of Rs 68.28 crore have been completed during this month. It was also given in the meeting that the target fixed for October is 76 projects at the cost of Rs 93.33 crore.The meeting was informed that a total of 211 projects worth Rs 393.65 crore have been completed during the years 2019-20 and 2020-21.The projects include roads, bridges, schools, colleges, hospitals and other public utility projects. It was also revealed that once all the projects gets completed the developmental landscape of UT will get transformed to a larger extent.