5,000 km of roads to be constructed by June 30: PWD Minister
“Punjab government led by Bhagwant Singh Mann is committed to providing a better road network”
Chandigarh, March 5:
The Public Works Department of the Punjab government has saved Rs. 1464 crore in the last four years through a transparent tendering system. Disclosing this here today Punjab Public Works Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the saving has been made possible due to the department’s efforts to making the tendering process more scientific and rational. He said that the Punjab government has set a target of constructing 45,000 km of roads in the state by June 30, 2026. This target also includes construction of 4700 km of new roads as well as maintenance and widening of old roads. He said that Rs. 16209 crore will be spent on this work.
He said that to ensure the quality of construction works, continuous checking is being done by CM Flying Suqad. Apart from this, daily district wise/circle wise review meetings are being held to review the construction and repair work of roads.
Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the road density in the state of Punjab is 154 km/100 sq km. He said that although the central government has not paid Rs. 8800 crore of RDF to the state of Punjab for a long time, still the state government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is continuously working to provide the best road network to the people of the state. He said that roads act as the axis in the development of the state.
The Public Works Minister said that due to the efforts of their government, the responsibility of maintaining and repairing any road that is being constructed now for the next five years will be the responsibility of the road construction contractor, which will not only reduce the additional financial burden on the government for maintenance and repair, but will also save the people from dilapidated roads.
