To overcome the scarcity of construction material in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today asked the Punjab Mandi Board, PWD (B&R) and Irrigation Department to make optimum utilization of 93.15 lac MT of GSB (Gravel Sand Boulder) lying unused at various government construction sites for public works. A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister in a meeting with the senior officers of the departments of Industries & Commerce, Punjab Mandi Board, PWD (B&R), Power and Irrigation here at the Chief Minister’s Residence this morning.
Mr. Badal was apprised during the meeting that 88 lac MT of GSB was stacked at the construction site of Ranjit Sagar Dam (RSD), 4 lac MT of GSB at village Handwal in Hoshiarpur district and 1.15 lac MT of GSB at Balachaur in Nawanshahar district. He directed the Mandi Board and PWD (B&R) to utilize the available supply of GSB for the construction and upgradation of link roads in the entire state. It may be recalled that the work on the link and PMGSY roads was executed by Mandi Board and PWD (B&R) respectively. Mr. Badal also asked the Chief Engineer, Shahpur Kandi Dam (SKD) to utilize 30 lac MT of GSB for the ongoing construction of the dam, out of 88 lac MT of GSB available at dam site.
The Chief Minister also directed the Industries & Commerce department to work out the modalities for making construction material readily available to the public at the affordable rates. Mr. Badal also asked specifically to the Mandi Board, PWD along with the Industries Department to study the procurement, scope and futuristic use of the current available construction material. The Industries department had been given the mandate to formalize the technical and economic viability of the mining material from the entire state so that the overshooting prices of construction material get regulated and supply was made to all strata on the reasonable rates.
Meanwhile, the Industry & Commerce Minister Mr. Anil Joshi assured the Chief Minister that the department would submit a concrete proposal with respect to all modalities of mining sector and its procurement to him within a week.Referring to other issues related to RSD project, the Chief Minister asked the Principal Secretary Irrigation to work out a detailed action program for the redeployment of surplus staff of the dam besides giving an option of Voluntary Retirement Scheme to them. He also gave nod to the proposal put forth by the Chief Engineer RSD to hire buses for school and college going children of employees of RSD and SKD. He also permitted the RSD authorities to dispose of the old machinery lying stacked at the Dam site worth Rs. 100 crore after following a proper procedure and seeking necessary advice from the Finance department. Likewise, he also agreed to the proposal of the RSD for cutting the Eucalyptus trees at the Dam site through a committee comprising representatives from the local district administration, Forest department and RSD project in a transparent manner. The Chief Minister also sanctioned Rs. 5 crore and asked the state government to immediately release it to the SKD to ensure smooth progress of ongoing civil works over there.
He also directed the Principal Secretary Irrigation to immediately move an agenda in the next Cabinet meeting for seeking approval for filling the vacant posts of SDOs in the department to overcome shortage of engineers at the various ongoing projects of Irrigation and Drainage. He also directed the Principal Secretary Irrigation to work out a detailed restructuring plan of the department so that the entire staff of its canal and drainage wings could be potentially utilized to ensure its smooth functioning and asked to submit the comprehensive plan in this regard on July 5 to be thoroughly discussed in the meeting.The Chief Minister also asked the Secretary Housing & Urban Development to personally visit the dam site to assess the feasibility of utilizing 400 acres of vacant land in the vicinity of Shahpur Kandi Dam and its colonies so that the major chunk of this unutilized land could be put to use in a meaningful manner.
Prominent among who were present in the meeting included Industries & Commerce Minister Mr. Anil Joshi, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Irrigation Mr. KBS Sidhu, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar and Mr. Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Secretary Power Mr. Anirudh Tiwari, Director Mining Mr. Manashvi Kumar besides the Chief Engineer RSD Mr. Subash Kumar Nabh and Chief Engineer SKD Mr. Harvinder Singh.