By IANS,
New Delhi : With the unprecedented rains taking a heavy toll on the capital’s roads, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to prepare an effective action plan to fill all potholes and carry out repair work on a war-footing ahead of the festival season.
“Delhi being the national capital, the roads are important. It is necessary to have quality upkeep and instant repair mechanism so that visitors and residents feel satisfied and there is no ground for any complaint,” Dikshit stated.
The chief minister instructed the PWD to act fast as people were facing a lot of difficulties due to the bad condition of the roads, which was resulting in longer traffic jams, wastage of travelling time and more fuel consumption.
The decision was taken at a high level meeting convened by the chief minister to discuss the condition of the roads.
PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, principal secretary to the chief minister P.K. Tripathi, secretary PWD K.K. Sharma and PWD’s acting engineer in chief N.M.D. Jain were present at the meeting.
“The engineer in chief has been directed to chalk out an action plan to fill all potholes during this month and to initiate all major or minor repairs on a war footing so that it can be completed by September,” a Delhi government spokesperson said.
The PWD has also been permitted to float tenders to ensure better maintenance of roads. “The department has assured that all roads in the capital would become smooth before the festival season begins,” he added.
The chief secretary is to also direct the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to carry out similar exercises on their roads. “This would help in projecting a better image of Delhi as far as the condition of roads is concerned,” the spokesperson said.