The senior Public Works Department (PWD) officers were given a severe dressing down by the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday when he found cracks gaping in the walls of the newly constructed bridges and the stretch along the Raipur- Thano road having caved in at some places. Visibly livid with anger, CM ordered the engineer- in- chief PWD to start an inquiry into the matter without delay. Notably, the information about the deplorable condition of the under-construction bridge and its roads was given to the CM by some local people after which he decided to undertake an inspection of the site himself. Apart from the Bhopalpani Bridge, he also inspected another under-construction bridge at Saunda- Siroli. Both these bridges once constructed would ease the load of traffic on the main Dehradun- Rishikesh road and besides, it would act as an alternate route to the Dehradun airport. Incidentally, the area falls in the Assembly constituency of Doiwala being represented by the Chief Minister himself.
Exasperated on finding gross discrepancies in the construction work, he asked the engineers whether there was any pressure on them to complete the work speedily. The CM categorically said that the officers, contractors and employees showing laid-back approach to the assigned works must be made to face consequences. He affirmed that compromise on quality in construction works would not be tolerated. The CM also interacted with the local people and sought detailed information from them. He assured that the officers and employees showing apathy would not be spared. After the inquiry, action would be taken against the erring officers and employees, he assured.
During the inspection of Saunda-Saroli bridge, the CM sought information about the status of the project. He directed the officers to complete the bridge on time and ensure that the quality of the construction work is maintained as per the norms. The engineers informed him that the bridge would be ready by September 30.
The CM was accompanied by the engineer–in- chief PWD, R C Purohit, chief engineer PWD-National Highway division, Hari Om Sharma and superintending engineer, Rajesh Sharma during the inspection.