In a major citizen centric decision, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday gave nod to launch a special campaign for constructing 20,000 kilometres of link roads in the state at a cost of Rs 4000 crore. Chairing a meeting here today, the Chief Minister said that the main motive of the campaign is to facilitate the people as these Link Roads act as a catalyst in commuting and smooth transportation of the goods and services to people.
He said that these link roads are the arteries of economic growth in the state as they help the people residing in rural areas to commute on one hand and give impetus to trade and business on the other. Bhagwant Singh Mann underlined the need for construction of these roads at the earliest as majority of them have remained unattended even after passing their life of six years.
The Chief Minister said that these roads must be constructed by categorizing them as top priority, priority and needy roads so that people can be benefited from it. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that an on the ground survey for the need based and priority wise construction of these roads must be ensured.
He asked the PWD and Mandi Board authorities to ensure that every single penny is spent judiciously on the construction of these roads adding it should be ensured that the contractors constructing these roads will have to maintain it for five years. The Chief Minister said that the state government has decided to give a major facelift to the link road infrastructure by widening, strengthening and upgradation of these rural link roads across the state.
He said that keeping in view the importance of this road network to facilitate the people, the state government has taken this decision. Bhagwant Singh Mann asked the Punjab Mandi Board and PwD to ensure high quality of the work besides ensuring that every penny allocated for that project was invested in a justified manner.
The Chief Minister also said that the technology of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ should be used for need based construction of the rural roads in the state. He said that this step will ensure optimum use of the existing resources of the state along with ensuring top quality work on rural roads. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this technique will revolutionise the construction work on roads by saving a lot of public money adding he said that feasibility of third party check should also be explored.
On the occasion Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, Principal Secretary to CM Dr Ravi Bhagat and others were also present.