Officials to face strict action for laxity in work: Vikramaditya
To ensure accountability in work, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh today said that strict action, including chargesheeting and blacklisting, would be taken against officers and contractors who were found underperforming.
Vikramaditya, while talking to mediapersons here, said that the PWD divisions had been classified into four zones — red, yellow, green and non-performing, on the basis of which their performance would be monitored.
He highlighted key challenges such as delay in forest clearances and non-registration of land in the name of the department and said that a joint meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was being planned with the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments. The land identification and acquisition processes would be accelerated with the involvement of local representatives and the district administration, he added.
The minister sought cooperation from local communities and panchayats in the construction of roads. However, the target of road construction could be curtailed to 400 km to 500 km in the absence of timely land availability and local support, he added.
He said, “Himachal Pradesh is leading the nation in uploading detailed project reports (DPRs) under the Phase-IV of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and is poised to achieve the ambitious target of constructing 1,500 km of roads,” he added.
Vikramaditya said that projects worth Rs 1,200 crore had been proposed under the urban challenge fund of the Urban Development Department. While 25 per cent of the funding would come from the Central and state governments, the rest would be mobilised through banks and market mechanisms. The priority areas included sanitation, drainage, parking facilities and strengthening of urban infrastructure.
