Hans News Service Lucknow

Developinga world-class connectivity network is crucial for achieving Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy, Chief Secretary S P Goyal said on Tuesday, calling for proactive resolution of bottlenecks to accelerate infrastructure projects. He made the remarks while inaugurating a day-long state-level workshop on “Accelerating Linear Infrastructure Projects: Good Practices and New Ideas” here.

“Development of a world-class connectivity network is extremely important in the direction of achieving the goal of making Uttar Pradesh a trillion-dollar economy. Roads, railways, expressways, industrial corridors, logistics hubs, airports and urban infrastructure are the backbone of the state’s economic development,” a statement quoted him as saying. He said adequate preparations relating to land availability, design, utility shifting and statutory approvals should be completed before construction begins to ensure timely completion of linear infrastructure projects. “The focus of project leadership should not be only on the overall physical progress or completion percentage of a project, but on identifying and resolving in a time-bound manner the bottlenecks that are affecting the pace of construction,” Goyal said.

He stressed that large corridors and projects should be divided into systematic and manageable construction packages to enable effective monitoring at every level. “Monitoring of projects should not be limited to the overall level but should be done at the level of construction activities. This will clearly indicate the status of work at each location and where obstacles such as land, utilities, bridges, culverts, encroachments or environmental clearances exist,” he said. Goyal directed departments and officials to ensure timely removal of bottlenecks, particularly completing land acquisition within stipulated timelines. He said an effective interface management system should be developed, clearly recording the agency concerned, responsible officer, location, deadline and current status of every issue.

“An effective interface management system is necessary because linear infrastructure projects involve multiple agencies, including PWD, NHAI, Railways, power, water, telecommunications, revenue, forest, police and urban local bodies.