Bhubaneswar: Odisha Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Wednesday directed officials to ensure immediate repair of roads damaged by heavy rainfall, floods and landslides across the state.
Chairing a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan here, Harichandan reviewed the condition and repair work of several damaged roads, including the Nakhara-Niali and Adaspur-Jagatsinghpur stretches, Kalinga Ghati road and roads in Koraput, Bhadrak, Balasore, Kataka Town, Ganjam, Sambalpur, Kendujhar and Paradip.
The Minister said ensuring proper road connectivity was a responsibility of the state government and there would be no compromise on road quality. Taking note of reports and visuals of damaged roads circulating on social media, he directed officials to complete repairs without delay.
Harichandan also instructed engineers from the Engineer-in-Chief level to Chief Engineers, Superintending Engineers and Junior Engineers to regularly inspect roads under their jurisdiction and submit condition reports every 15 days. They were also directed to remain present during construction and monitor the quality of work.
The Minister further ordered departmental officials to initiate legal action against contractor agencies found deficient in the quality of their work.
Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh stressed the need to make the tendering process more transparent and expedite it. He also reviewed measures to improve the functioning and utility of WIMIS software and directed officials to prevent unnecessary delays in file processing.
EIC and Special Secretary Sameer Hota, Engineer-in-Chief (Civil) Satyabrata Behera, Financial Advisor and Special Secretary Ratikanta Mohapatra, Additional Secretaries Deepak Ranjan Das and Pradeep Kumar Sahu, besides Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers from various zones, attended the meeting physically and virtually.
