Delay in Bihar’s Flood Protection and Irrigation Projects Will Not Be Tolerated: Vijay Kumar Choudhary

Patna: Bihar’s Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary conducted a detailed review of flood protection and irrigation schemes during a meeting held at Irrigation Bhawan. The review focused on projects costing more than Rs. 5 crore, assessing their physical progress, budget allocation, and expenditure. Senior officials, including Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar Mall, Additional Secretary Naveen, and Chief Engineers from various regions, participated in the meeting, with regional engineers joining via video conferencing.

The minister emphasized that timely implementation of departmental schemes for flood protection and irrigation is crucial. He instructed officials to finalize all designs and drawings before issuing work orders to contractors to avoid delays. He also directed the submission of quarterly action plans for all projects to the headquarters and called for regular reviews of their progress and proportional budget utilization.

Choudhary issued strict warnings to ensure accountability in delayed projects. He instructed officials to issue show-cause notices to contractors and responsible officers for unsatisfactory progress. Contractors failing to deploy adequate workforce, machinery, and materials will face departmental action as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). He stressed the need for timely action, including debarring contractors who continue to delay work despite repeated warnings.

The minister also reviewed the implementation of instructions from the previous review meeting, urging senior officers to monitor regional compliance rigorously. He reiterated that any obstacles delaying project implementation must be promptly identified and resolved to ensure the successful completion of flood protection and irrigation initiatives in Bihar.