Jammu, Mar 8 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Sunday said the National Conference government is committed to strengthening sustainable road connectivity across the Union Territory, particularly in rural and remote areas.
He emphasised that quality construction and timely completion of projects remain the government’s top priorities, adding that there will be zero tolerance for delays, lapses or any compromise in construction standards.
“Hold the contractors responsible for timely and quality work execution and do not hesitate to take action against any lapses on their part,” Choudhary said after laying the foundation stone for six major road projects worth Rs 91.05 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Jammu district.
The projects aim to boost rural connectivity and upgrade road infrastructure in Jammu district, covering 36.30 km of road length across five constituencies. This included six road projects — Chhamb (Rs 28.89 crore), Satwari (Rs 16.28 crore), Jammu East (Rs 7.89 crore), Akhnoor (Rs 15.37 crore) and Nagrota (Rs 22.61 crore) constituencies.
“The government is committed to strengthen sustainable road connectivity across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in rural and remote areas,” he said.
The deputy CM directed engineers and executing agencies to strictly adhere to project timelines and ensure that all works are executed as per prescribed standards.
“Low tendering approvals, work subletting and other practices hampering sustainable asset developments must be discouraged,” he said.
He stressed that field engineers must remain accessible to the public and actively monitor work on the ground to ensure transparency and accountability.
Later, Choudhary conducted an extensive tour of border areas in R S Pura sector near here to review the progress of developmental works and address the public grievances.
During the visit, he convened a day-long public outreach programme at village Sai, where he interacted with a large gathering of residents and listened to their concerns, an official spokesman said.
Pushing for holistic development of border areas, the deputy CM directed the concerned departments to identify suitable land patches for construction of a community hall, an industrial estate and other public facilities in the area.
“Our emphasis is on sustainable and inclusive development and the government is determined to strengthen the infrastructure and improve livelihood opportunities in border regions,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of skill development, he also called for strengthening training opportunities and skilling local youth for better livelihood opportunities.
Choudhary further directed the concerned departments to organise awareness-cum-registration camps under the Labour and Employment Department so that eligible residents can avail welfare benefits.
“I urge all the residents to register for labour cards, which provide benefits such as marriage assistance for daughters, scholarships for child education and health insurance coverage for the workers,” he said.
He also inspected the restoration work of the Hare Peer Bridge at Sai Kalan and expressed serious concern over the poor design and execution of the project.
Taking strong notice of the delay and technical shortcomings, he directed the concerned authorities to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
He stressed that permanent restoration, including strengthening and protection of the existing infrastructure, must be completed at the earliest to ensure seamless connectivity for residents of the border areas. PTI TAS TAS KVK KVK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.