Garhwal Post Bureau
HARIDWAR, 21 Feb: Tourism and Public Works Department Minister Satpal Maharaj chaired a review meeting on Saturday at the CCR Auditorium in Haridwar to assess the road construction works being carried out across the state by the Public Works Department, National Highways, and PMGSY.
During the meeting, the Minister directed officials to complete all road construction projects under their jurisdiction in a time-bound manner, ensuring high quality standards and the use of modern technology. He emphasized that patchwork on roads must be carried out on priority to make the state’s roads pothole-free and to ensure smooth and safe transportation for the public.
He also instructed that proper signboards must be installed at accident-prone locations. For roads where construction has been completed, he directed officials to obtain necessary approvals from the Transport Department before opening them for vehicular movement.
While interacting with the media, the Minister stated that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared for providing alternative road connectivity from Sudhowala in Dehradun to Mussoorie, and the alignment work has also been completed. He informed that out of 1,456 complaints related to road patchwork, 1,444 have already been resolved.
He further said that traffic congestion near the renowned Kainchi Dham temple will soon be addressed, as the Kainchi Dham Bypass has been approved. A valley bridge is expected to be completed by June, after which traffic will be diverted accordingly.
The Minister added that construction of the Singtali Bridge will commence soon after obtaining clearance from the Forest Department. He also directed officials to install proper road signage at important locations.
Referring to the Kumbh Mela scheduled to be held in 2027, the Minister said that review meetings have been conducted to strengthen construction works and other arrangements to ensure the grand and divine organization of the event. Funds have already been sanctioned to various departments for related works. Emphasis is being laid on permanent infrastructure and maintaining high standards of cleanliness and construction quality.
The meeting was attended by PWD Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Chief Engineer Rajesh Sharma, Chief Engineer Ranjeet Singh Rawat, Superintending Engineer (Haridwar) DP Singh, and other senior departmental officials.
