Srinagar: In a High-Level meeting to review Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) projects, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha pushed for quick resolution of issues, if any, to speed up the progress of mega infrastructure projects in Jammu & Kashmir.
The meeting witnessed various important directions passed by the Lt Governor to the Administrative Secretaries and functionaries of the executing agencies for bringing in reforms by adopting an action-oriented approach for the timely completion of the projects.
While taking a project-wise thorough assessment, the Lt Governor sought the present status of the projects from the concerned Administrative Secretaries, Chief Engineers and other senior officers of the executing agencies, who in turn briefed the chair about the progress achieved till date and the future course of action.
We need to speed up the projects for the overall development of UT. There is no constraint of funds & resources and the government is committed to bridge the gap between rural and urban J&K. Complete projects on Mission Mode, especially those which are under execution for a long time while maintaining the quality of work, the Lt Governor directed the officers.
Adhere to the timelines committed during the review meeting. Accelerate the pace of work, reduce unnecessarily extended timelines and mobilize resources to ensure that the public does not face inconvenience due to delays, he added.
The Lt Governor passed specific directions to prepone the timelines of some of the major projects so that the same can be completed at the earliest.
Prestigious projects under PMDP are imperative for the holistic development of J&K. The departments must coordinate with each other to remove the bottlenecks, if any, for their effective execution, maintained the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also reviewed the implementation of the directions passed during previous meetings and the execution of work in view of the commitments made thereof.
Taking note of the issues presented by the officers in the execution of some projects, the Lt Governor asked for preparing a list of those issues which are needed to be flagged with the Government of India, besides submitting a separate set of issues to be taken up by the J&K Government.
While taking stock of the road projects under the Package, the Lt Governor laid special emphasis on putting a dedicated focus on strengthening the road connectivity which is vital for the economic development of any region. Important road links like Ramban-Banihal road stretch needs special attention by the concerned agencies, he added.
He further called for prioritizing the work as per the infrastructural requirements, particularly in health and educational projects.
Stressing upon the optimum utilization of the developed infrastructure, the Lt Governor passed strict directions to the officers to ensure that the inaugurated infrastructural projects are being put to use to facilitate the people.
Ms. Sushma Chauhan, Administrative Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department gave a detailed overview of the status of projects under PMDP.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department; Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department; Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj; Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary to Government, H&UDD; Naveen Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture Production & Farmers’ Welfare; Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, PDD; Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Government, Public Works (R&B) Department; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Youth Services & Sports; Ms. Sarita Chauhan, Commissioner/Secretary to Government, Labour & Employment Department; M Raju, Commissioner Secretary to Government, Jal Shakti Department; Simrandeep Singh, Secretary to Government, Department of DMRR&R; Sarmad Hafeez, Administrative Secretary, Tourism Department, besides Chief Engineers of various Departments and Agencies attended the meeting, in person and through virtual mode at Civil Secretariat.
