Taking a firm stance on infrastructure quality, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has ordered the suspension of six officers from the Public Works Department (Buildings and Roads) and the Development and Panchayats Department. The action follows technical audits conducted by the Quality Assurance Authority (QAA), which flagged significant deficiencies in various engineering projects across the state.
Suspended Officers Named
The suspended officials include Narayan Dutt, Executive Engineer (Civil) from Panchayati Raj in Karnal; Parminder Singh, Executive Engineer (Civil), formerly posted in Panchayati Raj, Karnal, and now in Kaithal; and Ramesh Chand, Junior Engineer from Panchayati Raj, Karnal. Additionally, three officers from the PWD (Buildings and Roads) department have also been suspended. Their names have not been disclosed yet.
Government's Commitment to Quality
Reiterating the state government's dedication to quality, accountability, and transparency in public infrastructure, Chief Minister Saini emphasized that QAA observations must be given due importance and acted upon promptly by all departments. He was chairing a high-level meeting of the Quality Assurance Authority in Chandigarh.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, QAA chairperson Rajeev Arora, administrative secretaries, and senior officers from various engineering departments.
Show-Cause Notices and Recovery Proceedings
Officials revealed that show-cause notices have also been issued to some other officers in different departments. In the case of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation, recovery proceedings have been initiated against the contractor for substandard work.
The Chief Minister stated that a clear message should reach all departments, officers, consultants, contractors, and executing agencies that there will be no compromise on the quality of public infrastructure works.
Scope of Audits
QAA teams have conducted technical audits of projects across multiple sectors, including buildings, roads, irrigation, public health, and power. The audits covered a wide range of projects from various departments:
- 18 projects of PWD (Buildings and Roads)
- 5 projects of the Public Health Engineering Department
- 4 projects of the Irrigation Department
- 14 projects of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board
- 3 projects of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation
- 3 projects of the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran
- 1 project of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation
- 7 projects of Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited
- 4 projects of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority
- 1 project of the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority
- 2 projects of the Urban Local Bodies Department
- 2 projects of the Development and Panchayats Department
The government's swift action underscores its zero-tolerance policy towards substandard work and its commitment to ensuring that public infrastructure projects meet the highest quality standards.
