SHIMLA: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today chaired the North Zone Inter-State Interactive Session on ‘Quality Assurance in Public Works Departments’, which was attended by senior officers and engineers from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. Addressing the gathering, he said that the state government has initiated extensive reforms in the Public Works Department (PWD) to prepare it for future challenges. He highlighted the department’s commendable role during natural disasters over the past three years and stressed the need for advanced infrastructure development, including tunnels and high-rise structures, in view of the growing impact of climate change.
The Chief Minister said that rebuilding infrastructure damaged by natural disasters would be one of the biggest challenges in the coming years. He noted that nearly four percent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is currently spent on disaster reconstruction and warned that this figure could rise to 14 percent by 2050. He also suggested that the PWD should expand its traditional role and explore opportunities in emerging sectors such as dam construction. On the occasion, he released the book “Quality Control for Road Works.”
Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that capacity building and the adoption of modern technologies are essential for strengthening infrastructure development. He noted that Himachal Pradesh has a road network of around 45,000 kilometres, with most Panchayats now connected by roads, making maintenance a major challenge. To address this, the state government has introduced a new drainage policy aimed at improving road durability and upkeep. He also pointed out that rising construction material costs due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East have increased pressure on development projects, making it important for the government to adapt to emerging challenges.
