Bhubaneswar: Odisha Works, Law and Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan has directed departmental officers and engineers to focus on sustainability and quality in construction projects while adopting modern technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Chairing a review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan here on Thursday, Harichandan said there was no shortage of funds for development-oriented works and stressed the need to keep pace with changing times by adopting best practices and models from developed countries.
The meeting reviewed a range of projects, including National Highway works, the Bhubaneswar traffic control project, the Puri heritage project, proposed elevated roads at different locations, the Jayadev Vihar-Nandankanan road, renovation of the Gundicha Temple and construction of environment-friendly buildings.
The minister said the adoption of new knowledge, skills and construction methods had helped improve the execution of several projects, making the process easier and faster. However, he stressed that speed should not come at the cost of durability and quality.
Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh attended the meeting and offered suggestions for expediting various projects in line with the state government’s priorities.
OBCC Managing Director Anupam Saha, EIC and Special Secretary Samir Hota, EIC (Civil) Satyabrata Behera, Financial Adviser Ratikanta Mahapatra, Additional Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sahoo and senior engineers and officials of the department were also present.
