Bukhari reviews pace of work on National Highway

Excelsior Correspondent

Minister for Public Works, Mohammad Altaf Bukhari chairing  a meeting at Srinagar on Saturday.
Minister for Public Works, Mohammad Altaf Bukhari chairing a meeting at Srinagar on Saturday.

SRINAGAR, Apr 25: Minister for Public Works, Floriculture and Gardens and Parks Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today asked National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to start round the clock improvement work on Pantha Chowk-Qazigund stretch and ensure that the work is completed without any further delay.
Addressing a meeting that was convened to review the pace of improvement works on National Highway in Kashmir, Bukhari took a strong exception to the delay caused by the NHAI to complete the improvement work on Pantha Chowk-Qazigund stretch.
He directed the NHAI officers to expedite the rehabilitation of carriage way on fast track basis and report to the designated Nodal Officer of State on daily basis.
Bukhari also directed the NHAI officers to go for round the clock activity on the entire road stretch from Pantha Chowk-Qazigund so that the vital road connectivity link is maintained and public grievances are redressed.
The Minister asked the senior officers of Public Works Department to monitor the progress on improvement work to be carried out by NHAI and report to the Government accordingly.
Issue of traffic jamming at Shalteng junction also surfaced during the meeting. The Minister directed Chief Engineer R&B to come up with a plan to ease out the traffic congestion at Shalteng so that a smooth traffic flow is maintained.
During the deliberations the Chief Engineer R&B suggested for construction of flyovers at Shalteng, Sanat Nagar and Bemina junctions. Bukhari directed the Public Works Department officers to prepare detailed project reports in this regard for arrangement of funds.
Stressing on the need to adhere to specifications and use of latest technologies for quality enhancement, Bukhari asked the officers that there can be no compromise on the quality of roads under the present dispensation.
He asked the officers to ensure that the contractors complete their work in accordance with the methods and follow the designs of the projects of the Government while going by the technical standards of good quality.