Dehradun: Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects during the executive committee meeting of the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB) at the Secretariat on Thursday. He directed officials to ensure regular monitoring and strict adherence to project deadlines.
Expressing strong displeasure over the slow pace of the Sharda Riverfront Corridor Project, the Chief Secretary voiced dissatisfaction that only 10% of the work had been completed by the executing agency in about ten months. He directed the immediate deployment of a dedicated Project Manager at the project site to ensure continuous monitoring and real-time resolution of ground issues.
He instructed officials to prepare PERT charts with strict deadlines for all projects and conduct project-by-project progress reviews in every meeting. For delayed projects, clear reasons must be identified and corrective measures taken. The Principal Secretary of Planning was also instructed to regularly review these projects.
Reviewing river rafting projects, the Chief Secretary directed the executing agency to develop and deploy a dedicated site team for operation and maintenance for the next five years, recommending separate units for Haridwar and Rishikesh to ensure seamless execution.
Keeping the Kumbh Mela 2027 in mind, he instructed that priority works must be completed within their designated deadlines under all circumstances. For works related to Sati Kund, he ordered an increase in labor force and work shifts to meet the December 15 deadline, placing equal emphasis on speed and construction quality.
To monitor ongoing works in Haridwar, the Chief Secretary directed the General Manager of the executing agency to be stationed directly in Haridwar and submit regular progress reports to the District Magistrate and Divisional Commissioner.
Regarding parking infrastructure, he mandated obtaining a written No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the District Magistrate and Mela Officer before launching new parking projects in Haridwar, ensuring proper coordination with other departmental schemes. Construction should proceed based on the most practical option for the location—be it surface, underground, or mechanical parking.
Furthermore, the Chief Secretary instructed the constitution of a Financial and Audit Committee to effectively monitor financial matters related to UIIDB projects, emphasizing financial discipline, transparency, and timely execution.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Nitesh Kumar Jha, Ravinath Raman, Dr. Pankaj Kumar Pandey, C. Ravishankar, Dr. Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Special Secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate, alongside other senior UIIDB and departmental officials.
