Gandhinagar, Gujarat – Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has taken urgent steps to repair roads, highways, and bridges damaged by heavy monsoon rains. In a high-level meeting, he reviewed the condition of the state’s roads and issued clear directions for immediate repair work. The Chief Minister emphasised that no day should be wasted without rain or with little rain, and repair work should continue. He also pointed out that contractors should be held responsible for any damage during the defect liability period.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister discussed the importance of road networks for daily life and development in urban and rural areas. He expressed the need for immediate action to restore damaged roads and bridges, especially in cities where water logging and under-bridge flooding have become major issues.
Patel stressed that repair works should not wait for the rains to stop. Even on holidays, the repair work should go on to benefit the public. He highlighted the importance of quality in these repair works and stated that measures should be taken to ensure that the work is done properly.
Municipal commissioners from major cities joined the meeting via video conference. The Chief Minister instructed them to start immediate repairs in areas facing issues like water logging and under-bridge flooding. He also suggested planning long-term solutions for these problems to prevent them from recurring.
The Chief Minister called for teamwork among various departments, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Public Works Department, Panchayati Raj institutions, and Municipal Corporations, to coordinate these efforts efficiently. He noted that immediate attention is required for issues like water accumulation on roads and damage to bridges and culverts.
To facilitate this, a 24/7 control room has been set up in Gandhinagar. This control room will ensure that information is relayed quickly to the relevant officials, who will then be dispatched to the site for repairs.
The meeting included presentations from the Public Works Department, providing detailed information about the current state of highways and roads affected by the rains. Reports indicated that significant progress had been made on repairs for many affected bridges, with ongoing monitoring of diversions.
According to NHAI officials, 83 km of national highways were damaged this monsoon, of which repairs have been completed on 58 km. They expect to finish the remaining 25 km by July 20.
Chief Minister Patel reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to preventing delays in road repairs that could disrupt citizens’ lives. He instructed relevant departments to act promptly to meet public expectations for quality and timeliness in these repairs.
This high-level meeting included key officials such as Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi, Chief Minister’s advisor S.S. Rathore, and other senior bureaucrats. They discussed strategies to ensure that repairs are carried out effectively and efficiently across the state, ensuring a return to normalcy after the monsoon damages.
Leave a Reply