ITANAGAR, May 25: Chief Minister Pema Khandu, also the Minister in-charge of Public Works Department, on Thursday emphasized on quality construction and timely completion of all ongoing road projects in the State, besides urging the officers, especially the Chief Engineers of all zones and divisions, to check the practice of compiling DPRs (Detailed Project Reports) with exuberant budget estimates.
Khandu, while taking a detailed review on status of road projects being executed by the Departments of Highways, Public Works, Rural Works and Urban Development in the State, pointed out that most of the DPRs prepared by departmental engineers always tend to be on the higher side of actual cost of the project.
“Yes we need roads and other developmental projects. But we must always consider the financial capabilities of the State Government while preparing DPRs. I have seen DPRs of bridges of smaller proportions costing more than those executed by agencies like the BRO of much bigger proportions. Concerned chief engineers should review and revise such exuberant DPRs before submitting to the government,” he advised.
The Chief Minister suggested that relevant technology of road construction – as per the geographical and topographical conditions of the place – must be adopted to maintain quality and longevity of the project and check cost escalation during construction.
He also advised the secretaries and particularly the chief engineers to physically visit the work-in-progress sites once a month. He said this will not only keep the pace of work in tune and ensure quality, but also boost the morale of junior level officers and staff working on the ground.
He also called upon them to keep a check on any allegations or complaints of corruption involving their officers and insisted on ‘zero tolerance’ towards any kind of corrupt practices.
On maintenance and revamping of existing roads under Chief Minister’s Comprehensive State Road Development Plan, Khandu suggested the PWD to complete all the ongoing projects before entertaining new proposals within this financial year. He assured that the requisite funds for this would be made available by the State government.
Reviewing the status of PMGSY roads executed by RWD, Khandu said the department needs to concentrate more on the districts of East Kameng, Kurung Kumey, Kra-Daadi and Upper Subansiri as the data presented showed that most of the unconnected villages fall in these districts.
Meanwhile, the Highways (PWD) informed that as the Trans-Arunachal Highway is near completion, the focus now is on the Frontier Highway and Inter Connectivity Corridor projects, which were recently approved by the Centre.
The Frontier Highway is proposed to begin from Bomdila in West Kameng and end at Vijaynagar in Changlang covering a distance of 1748 km. Parts of this highway will be executed by NHIDCL and BRO, besides the State PWD.
On the other hand, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has identified six Inter Connectivity Corridors to connect NH-52 (now NH-15) in Assam with the Trans-Arunachal Highway (NH-13) and the proposed Frontier Highway (NH-913).
The review meeting was attended by RWD Minister Honchun Ngandam and top officials of PWD, Highways, RWD and UD Deptt.