APRIL 30: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary chaired a comprehensive review meeting on Monday to assess the progress of ongoing projects under the 2024-25 Capex Budget and to initiate discussions on the formulation of the 2025-26 Capex Budget Action Plan.
The meeting saw participation from key cabinet members including Health & Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister Javed Ahmad Dar, Transport Minister Satish Sharma, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Secretary PWD Bhupinder Kumar, and senior officials from relevant departments.
During the meeting, the Deputy CM underscored the importance of strengthening grassroots-level infrastructure to ensure equitable and accelerated development. He stressed that the upcoming budget must reflect a “whole-of-government” approach by integrating planning efforts at both departmental and district levels.
Highlighting the need for focused implementation, Choudhary stated that emphasis should be on completing ongoing projects rather than initiating a large number of new underfunded ones. He directed that most new projects taken up during the 2025-26 fiscal should have a completion timeline of one to two years, with an extension up to three years only for major infrastructure initiatives.
He further called for outcome-based planning, with each department clearly identifying the number of projects to be completed and the estimated beneficiaries. He instructed that the feedback and priorities shared by elected representatives during budget discussions must be appropriately considered while framing annual work plans.
The Deputy CM also issued firm instructions to penalize contractors causing unwarranted delays in project execution, emphasizing the need for strict accountability and timely delivery.
Ministers Sakina Itoo, Javed Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma, along with Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, offered their inputs for improving departmental efficiency and highlighted urgent constituency-specific works that need immediate attention.
Earlier, PWD Secretary Bhupinder Kumar delivered a detailed presentation on the proposed 2025-26 Capex Budget, showcasing major project allocations and progress from the previous fiscal. Achievements cited included the macadamization of 3410 km of roads, blacktopping of 769 km under PMGSY, completion of 2763 projects under UT Capex, 498 road sector schemes, and 47 bridges.