Kumar Bahukhandi
Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao chairs a joint departmental review meeting of Surguja and Surajpur officials at Ambikapur on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Sao reviewed roads and infrastructure, urban development, drinking-water projects and sports programmes, directing officials to accelerate road repairs before the festival season and ensure timely, quality execution of development works. Photo: channel24india.com via CG/DPR
Deputy Chief Minister reviews development works in Surguja and Surajpur; directs officials to ensure quality, transparency and timely execution, with special focus on roads, drinking water, urban services and sports
Key Highlights
- Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao reviews works of four departments in Ambikapur.
- Road repairs after the monsoon to be accelerated and completed in time for the festival season.
- Ongoing PMAY-Urban houses directed to be completed by October.
- Officials told there must be no compromise on quality or unnecessary delay in development works.
- Drinking-water infrastructure and Jal Jeevan Mission projects to be regularly monitored.
- Primary schools to expand sports activities to encourage participation among rural children.
- Officials asked to ensure government schemes translate into visible benefits for citizens.
Ambikapur: Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao on Thursday, October 9, 2026 directed officials to accelerate road repairs ahead of the festival season and complete ongoing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) by the end of October, while stressing that delays or compromises in the quality of development works would not be acceptable.
Sao issued the directions during a joint review meeting of officials from Surguja and Surajpur districts at the divisional headquarters in Ambikapur on October 8.
The meeting reviewed the progress of projects and implementation of schemes under the Public Works Department, Public Health Engineering Department, Urban Administration and Development Department, and Sports and Youth Welfare Department.
Surguja Collector Ajit Vasant, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Agrawal and Surajpur Collector Rena Jamil were among the senior officials present.
‘Officials Must Understand Their Responsibility’
Calling for closer and more regular monitoring of sanctioned projects, Sao said development works should be completed within stipulated deadlines and departments must coordinate effectively to remove bottlenecks.
🔴 “The real purpose of development works is to provide better facilities to citizens. Therefore, officials must accord the highest priority to transparency, quality and timeliness in implementing schemes,” Sao said.
He also asked officials to improve the functioning and cleanliness of their offices and ensure that the benefits of government programmes reach ordinary citizens directly.
🔴 “Officials must understand their responsibility and discharge their duties seriously,” he said.
PMAY-Urban Houses to be Completed by October
Reviewing development projects in urban areas, Sao asked municipal officials to strengthen monitoring of schemes and give priority to works directly affecting citizens.
He stressed that the condition and management of towns influence public perception of both the district and the state.
🔴 “Our cities create the image of our state and contribute to the reputation of the district. Therefore, urban systems must be kept in order and special attention must be paid to cleanliness,” he said.
Sao directed officials to ensure that work begins immediately after completion of the tender process and that ongoing projects are completed without avoidable delay.
He identified the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) as a priority and instructed Chief Municipal Officers to complete houses currently under construction during October.
The Deputy Chief Minister also ordered monthly reviews of revenue collection.
During the meeting, he reviewed works under the Mukhyamantri Nagarotthan Yojana, infrastructure heads, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), PMAY-Urban, 15th Finance Commission and rainwater harvesting programmes.
Road Repairs Must Gather Pace Before Festivals
Road conditions received particular attention during the Public Works Department review.
Sao sought details of buildings, roads, bridges, culverts and other construction projects and instructed officials to accelerate repairs after the monsoon.
He stressed that road and infrastructure works directly affect people’s daily movement and therefore cannot be treated casually.
🔴 “There should be no unnecessary delay in construction works. Officials must work according to a proper action plan,” Sao said.
With the festival season approaching, he asked the department to complete repairs within prescribed timelines while maintaining quality so that people do not face avoidable inconvenience.
🔴 “The coming period is the festival season. Quality work must therefore be completed within the stipulated time and people should not be inconvenienced,” he said.
He also directed officials to continuously monitor construction quality rather than wait until projects were nearing completion.
Drinking-Water Projects Under Review
During his review of the Public Health Engineering Department, Sao examined the status of drinking-water projects, including works being undertaken under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Officials were instructed to maintain uninterrupted drinking-water arrangements, ensure the availability of water sources and resolve public complaints concerning water supply promptly.
Pending projects should be taken up on priority, he said.
Sao also called for regular maintenance of drinking-water infrastructure and continuous monitoring of schemes so that facilities created under government programmes remain functional after completion.
More Sports Activities in Primary Schools
The Deputy Chief Minister also reviewed sports infrastructure and programmes aimed at increasing youth participation.
He asked officials to introduce more sporting activities in primary schools, particularly to encourage children in rural areas to participate.
🔴 “To promote sports in rural areas, sports activities should be increased in primary schools,” Sao said.
He directed sports officials to prepare an action plan in coordination with district panchayat chief executive officers and the Education Department.
One physical training instructor should be identified for each school cluster to coordinate sporting activities, he said.
Sao also reviewed registrations for the Surguja Olympics and called for wider publicity. Sports associations and people associated with different disciplines should be involved to encourage maximum participation.
🔴 “Sports promote health, discipline, self-confidence, the ability to work together and creativity,” he said, directing officials to improve sporting facilities and create opportunities for local talent.
Surguja District Panchayat CEO Roma Srivastava, Surajpur District Panchayat CEO Vijendra Singh Patle and Ambikapur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vinay Kumar Agrawal were also present at the review.
