_Expenditure Finance Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, five proposals approved
__Pandit Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Reservoir Project worth Rs 326.64 crore in Sahaspur and Khairna Barrage Drinking Water Project worth Rs 382.40 crore in Nainital approved
__Proposals related to development works related to Chief Minister’s announcements, construction of circuit house in Bageshwar, Kainchi Dham bypass road and cleanliness arrangement of Kumbh Mela-2027 approved_Dehradun. Expenditure Finance Committee meeting was organized in the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan.
In the meeting, detailed discussion was held on proposals of development works of various departments including projects related to drinking water and irrigation. A total of eight proposals were presented before the committee in the meeting, out of which five proposals were approved, while three proposals were kept reserved for necessary review and examination.
_Chief Secretary’s instructions on quality, financial discipline and timely implementation of projects_Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan directed the officers to ensure detailed study of all phases and various aspects of any project while preparing it. Necessary technical, geological, financial and administrative consents for the project should be obtained in time, so that there is no unnecessary delay during approval and implementation.He said that special attention should be paid to financial management while determining the estimated cost of projects and proposals should be prepared keeping in mind future requirements. It should be ensured that delay in proposals does not cause unnecessary increase in the cost of projects.
The Chief Secretary directed that except for unavoidable circumstances, situation should not arise to submit proposal again for increase in cost of projects. If proposal for increase in cost is submitted due to any unavoidable reason, then relevant reasons for cost increase along with consent of concerned parties and necessary approval should be clearly shown in it.He also termed physical verification of projects as important and directed that verification should be done only through competent officers of prescribed level and concerned authorized agencies, so that quality, transparency and financial accountability of works can be ensured._Important projects of Sahaspur and Nainital approved_In the meeting, Pandit Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Reservoir Project worth Rs 326.64 crore in Sahaspur of Irrigation Department related to Chief Minister’s announcement was approved.
Apart from this, Khairna Barrage drinking water project worth Rs 382.40 crore in Nainital district also got approval of Expenditure Finance Committee. Both projects are important from the point of view of giving impetus to development works in the area.Instructions were given to review the Syonshi Lake construction project under Block Bironkhal of Chaubattakhal assembly constituency related to Chief Minister’s announcement of Irrigation Department and the project related to Master Plan Phase-1 of Rudraprayag city.Regarding Rudraprayag Master Plan, Chief Secretary gave clear instructions that while preparing the drainage plan, it should be ensured that dirty water coming out of houses should not flow directly into the river in any situation.
For this, proper arrangement of effective drainage and waste water management should be ensured._Approval for construction of circuit house in Bageshwar_In the meeting, construction work of circuit house at a cost of Rs 13.15 crore in district Bageshwar under Chief Minister’s announcement related to State Property Department and Public Works Department was approved. This project is expected to give impetus to development of necessary infrastructure facilities in the district._Approval for improvement of Kainchi Dham bypass motor road_Under the State Plan of Public Works Department, a proposal worth Rs 21.81 crore for tarring and improvement work of Shri Kainchi Dham bypass motor road from Dunighat to Ratighat (Padli) in development block Betalghat of assembly constituency Nainital of district Nainital was approved.This work is important in the direction of strengthening road infrastructure in the area and making movement smooth.
_Rs 25 crore proposal approved for cleanliness arrangement of Kumbh Mela-2027_In the meeting, a proposal worth Rs 25 crore related to Comprehensive Development of Manpower for Integrated Sanitation Operation for Kumbh Mela-2027 under Urban Development Department and Municipal Corporation Haridwar was approved.Chief Secretary directed Kumbh Mela Officer and concerned officers to ensure effective arrangement for verification of agencies providing services through outsourcing and personnel employed in cleanliness works. For this, modern technologies including biometric verification should be used, so that accurate assessment of actual presence and deployment of agencies and personnel can be done.
He directed that effective monitoring of verification system should be ensured and payment should be made to concerned agencies and personnel only after necessary investigation. This will make cleanliness arrangement more effective, transparent and accountable during Kumbh Mela-2027.In the meeting, proposal related to construction of overall infrastructure, substation panel and other works at Shri Kedarnath Dham related to Tourism Department and Public Works Department was kept reserved for necessary review.Chief Secretary directed both departments and concerned officers to do detailed verification of additional increased cost of the project.
After examining reasons for cost increase, actual requirement of works and other related aspects, revised proposal should be submitted, so that decision regarding project can be taken as per rules.Chief Secretary directed all departments to give top priority to financial discipline, technical quality, transparency and timeliness in planning and implementation of development projects. Also, by completing all necessary formalities in time, it should be ensured that benefits of approved projects reach general public within stipulated time period.Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Public Works Department Pankaj Pandey, Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar, Planning Department Sridhar Babu Addanki and senior officers of concerned departments were present in the meeting.
