Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 25 Jul: A meeting of the Expenditure Finance Committee was held at the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan here on Saturday, in which several proposals from various departments were recommended. The Chief Secretary directed the officials concerned that pumping drinking water schemes be examined for operation and maintenance through solar power to ensure sustainability and cost-effectiveness and directed that the possibility of solarisation be mandatorily explored in all such projects. He asked the Planning Department to issue a government order in this regard.
Expressing displeasure over departments continuing to pay consultants on a percentage basis of project cost, the Chief Secretary reiterated that fees must be paid in lump sum amount as per earlier instructions and directed that the government order already issued be resent to the departments for strict compliance. He emphasised that cases of unexpected escalation in project costs must be taken seriously and that agencies responsible for faulty estimation leading to cost increases should face action under rules. He instructed the Planning Department, with guidance from the Public Works Department, to prepare guidelines on cost variation to prevent unnecessary escalation in project expenditure.
Highlighting the potential of Ayush in the State, Bardhan said that good projects should be prepared with special attention to location. Referring to the proposal for an ITI at Garud in Bageshwar, he directed that the hostel facilities be ensured nearby to provide convenience to the students seeking admission.
Among those present at the meeting included Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu, R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Dilip Jawalkar, Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Sridhar Babu Addanki and C Ravishankar along with other senior officers and departmental heads.
