Himachal to allow third party inspections for project quality

The Himachal Pradesh government will ensure quality in public projects by adopting third party inspections through an independent quality-check squad monitored by the CM's office, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Wednesday.

He said the government will take a serious note of delays in the completion of public projects like construction of roads, bridges and government buildings, or compromising with quality.

Thakur said in a statement here that the government is also contemplating to start a scheme to provide incentives to the executing agencies which complete the projects ahead of schedule.

It would not only bring competitiveness among contractors but also help check cost escalation, the Chief Minister said.

He said automation of the Public Works Department would be taken up in a big way so that maximum use of information technology could be ensured for monitoring progress in the ongoing projects.

The Chief Minister said that to ensure minimum damage to environment, the government had authorized contractors to use material scooped out at project sites for construction purposes subject to approval by relevant engineers.

--IANS

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