SHIMLA : Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh chaired a review meeting of the Public Works Department to assess the preparedness for the upcoming monsoon season, here today. The Minister directed the officers to remain fully prepared to respond to any emergent situation. He said that the department has deployed 11,137 Beldars and 4,228 multi-task workers across the state to restore road connectivity wherever disrupted. In addition, 1,156 departmental and private machines, including JCBs, bulldozers, robotic equipment and tippers, have been positioned for round-the-clock road restoration work. Apart from this, six bailey bridges were also made available for emergency use.
He directed officials to ensure that machinery, bailey bridges and construction materials were strategically positioned at important locations. He also directed them to complete advance tendering to ensure the availability of additional private machinery whenever required. The Minister said that before the onset of the monsoon, the department had resurfaced 155.95 kilometres of roads, carried out patchwork on 924.94 kilometres, cleaned drainage channels along 8,893.58 kilometres of roads and cleared culverts on 9,414 kilometres of roads. He directed officials to continue cleaning drains and culverts regularly during the monsoon to minimize damage caused by water logging.
He also directed officials to ensure uninterrupted road connectivity to essential institutions such as hospitals, police stations, educational institutions, fire stations, pumping stations and power installations. They were directed to identify vulnerable roads, bridges and landslide-prone locations in their respective jurisdictions and monitor them closely during the monsoon. The Minister further directed to immediately share details of damage caused by landslides, cloudbursts or floods with the revenue authorities, along with photographs and videos for proper assessment. He also directed the department to establish round the clock control rooms during the monsoon season to ensure a prompt response to emergencies.
