Bhubaneswar: Odisha Law, Works and Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Wednesday directed senior engineers of the Works Department to expedite the execution of roads, bridges and building projects by resolving bottlenecks related to land acquisition, forest clearances and utility shifting through better inter-departmental coordination.
Chairing a review meeting at the Convention Centre in Lok Seva Bhawan, the Minister said infrastructure projects must be completed within the stipulated timelines to accelerate the state’s development. He asked Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers to take a proactive approach in addressing issues that delay project implementation.
Harichandan said the concerted efforts of departmental officers and engineers over the past two years had resulted in the completion of several major infrastructure projects, while many others had reached the final stage of execution. He, however, stressed the need to further accelerate the pace of work and ensure that long-pending projects are completed without delay.
Emphasising efficient utilisation of public funds, the Minister directed officials to ensure that project allocations are spent within the prescribed time frame. He also asked Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers to undertake regular field visits and hold monthly review meetings to monitor the progress of works, identify obstacles and facilitate their timely resolution.
During the meeting, Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh reviewed division-wise expenditure on various projects, assessed the progress of ongoing works and discussed measures to resolve implementation challenges. He also highlighted the use of modern technology and software platforms, including OSWAS and WAMIS, for improving project monitoring and management.
The meeting was attended by Engineer-in-Chief and Special Secretary Laxmikant Padhi, Finance Advisor Ratikanta Mahapatra, Engineer-in-Chief (Civil) Satyabrata Behera, Engineer-in-Chief (Roads) Dhyanachand Nayak, Chief Engineer Priyabrat Samantaray, Chief Construction Engineer Manoj Mahananda and other senior departmental officials.
