Restore traffic on Kullu bridge by March: Himachal CM

Our Correspondent

KULLU, JANUARY 22

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while presiding over a meeting with the officers of various departments of the Kullu district at Circuit House here today, reviewed the progress of various schemes and directed them to complete the ongoing development projects within the stipulated time frame.

The Chief Minister said that the Bhootnath bridge in Kullu, which was closed for traffic for the last two years, should be restored for traffic by March as it was one of the important bridges and people were facing problems because of its closure. He asked the PWD to fix responsibility and take action against the erring contractor and engineers who were responsible for substandard construction of this bridge.

Thakur directed that the work of Rs 162-crore sewerage projects for Manali town and surrounding villages for which the pipes worth Rs 21 crore had already been purchased should be started. He asked the officers of the Jal Shakti Vibhag to ensure completion of this project in a fixed time frame.

He directed that all the formalities be completed early to pave the way for construction of a modern auditorium at Rambag in Manali, where events like winter carnival could be organised.

Expressing dissatisfaction over unnecessary delay in the construction of two blocks of the civil hospital in Banjar, the Chief Minister directed that this work must be completed by January 2022. He said that the work on Banjar by-pass road should be started at the earliest as the state government had already approved a sum of Rs 734.40 lakh for this project. He directed the Deputy Commissioner to monitor progress on all the ongoing projects so that unwanted delays due to small reasons could be avoided.

Thakur said that the work on construction of Kullu bus stand was in its final stage and it would be dedicated to the people in March.