Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 4 Jun: Taking a stern view of the slow pace of underground power cabling work being carried out by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), District Magistrate (DM) Dr Ashish Chauhan has ordered the withholding of the salary of the Superintending Engineer (SE) concerned and directed the UPCL officials to complete the ongoing works within five days while strictly adhering to the conditions laid down by the Road Cutting Committee.
The DM, accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Parmendra Dobal, conducted a field inspection of the ongoing underground cable-laying project work from Balliwala Flyover on GMS Road through Kanwali Road up to Saharanpur Chowk. During the inspection, he expressed strong displeasure over the slow progress of work and the inadequate deployment of manpower and machinery at the project sites.
Chauhan observed that at several locations between Kanwali Road and Saharanpur Chowk, construction material and debris are lying scattered along roadsides following excavation work, causing inconvenience to commuters and local residents. Taking serious note of the situation, he reprimanded the UPCL officials and directed them to immediately remove all construction material and debris from public roads to ensure smooth movement of traffic and pedestrians.
The DM also directed the UPCL officials to significantly increase the deployment of manpower and machinery at work sites and adopt a patch-wise execution strategy by creating 500-metre work stretches. He directed that work on each patch be expedited and the entire underground cable-laying project be completed on a war footing within the next five days.
Chauhan further directed that immediately after completion of the underground cabling work, the roads be handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD) for restoration so that road repair and resurfacing work can begin without further delay. Stressing on the importance of quality infrastructure, Chauhan said all road restoration and repair works must be carried out strictly in accordance with prescribed standards and quality norms to ensure safe and smooth transportation facilities for the public.
The DM also instructed UPCL to submit daily progress reports on the project and warned that any further delay would be viewed seriously. He emphasised that all the pending works must be completed within the stipulated timeframe and that public convenience should not be compromised under any circumstances.
During the inspection, the DM also reviewed road restoration work related to gas pipeline projects being executed by GAIL. He directed the agency concerned to fulfil all conditions associated with the work permission granted for laying gas pipelines and subsequently hand over the roads to the Public Works Department (PWD) for restoration. He further instructed PWD officials to ensure that all the damaged roads are repaired before the onset of the monsoon season.
Reiterating the administration’s commitment to public welfare, the DM warned that any negligence in projects linked to public services and civic amenities would not be tolerated. He asserted that such works would be subjected to regular monitoring and that the officials would be held accountable for delays or violations of prescribed conditions. He also directed all the related departments to ensure that ongoing works do not adversely affect traffic movement or public convenience.
Senior Superintendent of Police Parmendra Dobal, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) (Administration) KK Mishra, Superintendent of Police (SP) (Traffic) Lokesh Singh, SDM Sadar Apoorva Singh, PWD Executive Engineer OP Singh, officials of UPCL and other departmental officers were present during the inspection.
