The State Urban Development and Housing Minister Madan Kaushik inspected the road from the ISBT to Clock Tower to review the execution of efforts aimed at developing this route into a model road in Dehradun. While checking various aspects of road construction and developmental works, the Minister pulled up officials for anomalies in planning and execution, stressing that along with utility and quality of work, focus should also be laid on scope for beautification. Issuing instructions to officials concerned, Kaushik directed them to speed up the anti-encroachment campaign in the provisional state capital.
While conducting the inspection on Thursday, the minister stressed that public cooperation is also of vital importance for developing Dehradun into a model city. It is the collective responsibility of all to make and maintain Dehradun as a clean and beautiful city, he said. The minister also stressed that budgetary provisions will not be an issue for execution of such works. While inspecting the road, he also said that a plan should also be drafted for making the city safe from accidents. He further directed that yellow and white reflective pain should be used to make markings on footpaths, parking spaces and turns. The Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority will make the budgetary provision for this under the direction of the traffic department, he added.
Kaushik also directed that construction materials like sand and gravel kept on the road should be confiscated. Elements obstructing the road should also be dealt with sternly, he stressed, while adding that railings should also be installed if required. The minister also expressed dissatisfaction on seeing garbage dumped near the road. The minister also pulled up officials concerned for slow pace of work at sites taken up during the previous anti-encroachment drive. He said that necessary work should be started immediately at places where it has not yet been started. Regarding this, a meeting has also been called on Friday which will be attended by the district magistrate, senior superintendent of police, municipal corporation of Dehradun officials and other departmental officials concerned. The Dehradun district magistrate SA Murugesan, SSP Nivedita Kukreti, municipal commissioner Vijay Kumar Jogdande and other departmental officials were also present during the inspection conducted by the minister.
It is pertinent to mention here that Kaushik has been regularly directing officials and monitoring work on developing the route from ISBT to Clock Tower as a model road in Dehradun. However, observers opine that various aspects including official apathy and anomalies in work execution have prevented this task from being expedited.