Uttarakhand News : Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan has directed all government departments to clear the backlog of projects linked to Chief Minister announcements within a strict 15-day window. Presiding over a high-level review meeting at the Secretariat, Bardhan emphasized that administrative indecision will no longer be tolerated regarding public welfare schemes.
The Chief Secretary made it clear that any project not flagged for deletion within the next two weeks will be considered active, and the respective department will be held responsible for its completion. This move is designed to prune “ghost projects” that exist on paper but face insurmountable practical hurdles, allowing the administration to focus resources on viable infrastructure.
To resolve chronic land acquisition delays, the Chief Secretary instructed officials to coordinate directly with local MLAs, District Magistrates, and public representatives. For the School Education Department, he specifically authorized the exploration of private or forest land for the establishment of Central Schools in areas where government land is currently unavailable.
The Public Works Department (PWD) received specific orders to immediately issue government orders for feasible road constructions. Similarly, the Water Department has been granted a 20-day limit to categorize which drinking water schemes can be realistically implemented. Bardhan also pushed for the construction of new state guest houses in districts currently lacking such facilities.
Addressing delays caused by symbolic issues, the Chief Secretary ordered the immediate resolution of naming disputes for various projects. Departments must consult stakeholders and local representatives to finalize project titles, ensuring that nomenclature does not stall the inauguration of completed or near-complete infrastructure.
The meeting saw the participation of senior bureaucrats including Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu and Secretaries Amit Sinha, Sachin Kurve, and Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar, signaling a unified push to accelerate the state’s development agenda before the next fiscal cycle.
