Kumar Bahukhandi
PWD Secretary Mukesh Kumar Bansal reviews ongoing bridge and National Highway projects with departmental officials and contractors at Nirman Bhawan, Nava Raipur, on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The department has targeted completion of 100 bridges by March 2027 and directed contractors to mobilise adequate material, machinery and manpower during the post-monsoon working season. Photo: channel24india.com via CG/ DPR
Secretary Mukesh Kumar Bansal directs officials and contractors to make full use of post-monsoon working season; surprise inspections planned and action warned against delays
Key Highlights
- PWD aims to complete 100 bridges across Chhattisgarh by March 2027
- Secretary Mukesh Kumar Bansal reviews under-construction and sanctioned bridges and National Highway works
- Contractors told to ensure adequate construction material, machinery and manpower at project sites
- Surprise inspections planned to check progress, quality and adherence to timelines
- Officials and contractors face action if projects fail to meet prescribed schedules and standards
- Land acquisition, forest diversion, utility shifting and tree-felling clearances for new NH works to be expedited
Raipur: With the monsoon drawing to a close and the construction season opening up, Chhattisgarh’s Public Works Department has moved to accelerate bridge and National Highway projects across the State, setting a target of completing 100 bridges by March 2027.
PWD Secretary Mukesh Kumar Bansal on Thursday reviewed ongoing and sanctioned projects with officials and contractors from the department’s Bridge and National Highway wings at Nirman Bhawan in Nava Raipur.
The emphasis of the meeting was clear: the available working season must be fully utilised and projects should move from administrative preparation to visible progress on the ground.
Bansal directed contractors to ensure adequate stocks of construction materials and deploy sufficient machinery and manpower at project sites so that work can proceed at full pace.
“We have to complete the construction of 100 bridges by the coming March and open them for traffic,” Bansal said, according to the departmental release.
Surprise Inspections to Check Progress
The PWD Secretary indicated that monitoring would extend beyond progress reports and review meetings.
Construction sites will be closely monitored in the field, and Bansal said he would personally undertake surprise inspections of works.
He warned that failure to adhere to prescribed timelines and construction standards would invite action against responsible officials as well as contractors.
The direction assumes importance as the months immediately following the monsoon provide a crucial window for accelerating civil construction across the State.
Bansal asked departmental officials to resolve pending problems quickly and hand over obstruction-free work sites to contractors so that projects are not held up by administrative or procedural bottlenecks.
Quality and Timelines Given Priority
The department has also been instructed to ensure strong physical and financial progress during the remaining months of financial year 2026-27.
Bansal emphasised completion within stipulated timelines without compromising construction quality.
Once a project is completed, officials have been asked to finish documentation, GST-related requirements, settlements and other technical procedures promptly. Final payments to contractors should then be processed and the respective tenders formally closed.
The direction is intended to prevent completed projects from remaining administratively pending even after physical work has ended.
Clear Bottlenecks for New National Highway Projects
The review also covered new National Highway works awaiting commencement.
Bansal directed officials to expedite land acquisition, forest diversion, utility shifting and tree-felling procedures wherever required so that sanctioned projects can begin without avoidable delay.
He also reviewed the status of tendering and work orders for projects that have already received administrative approval.
Executive Engineers and Sub-Divisional Officers were instructed not to leave their headquarters without permission from senior officials, reinforcing the department’s focus on field-level supervision during the working season.
The review signals an attempt by the PWD to use the coming months for an intensive construction push, particularly on bridge projects where completion can directly improve connectivity and reduce travel difficulties for communities.
With a clearly defined March deadline for 100 bridges, the focus will now shift from departmental targets to execution at individual construction sites, adherence to quality standards and whether projects are actually opened for public use within the stipulated period.
PWD Engineer-in-Chief V.K. Bhatpahari, Additional Secretary S.N. Srivastava, Bridge Wing Chief Engineer S.K. Kori, National Highway Wing Chief Engineer Gyaneshwar Kashyap, along with Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers of both wings, attended the review meeting.
