Shillong, Jul 15: Deputy Chief Minister in-charge urban affairs minister Sniawbhalang Dhar will conduct an on-site inspection of New Shillong Township projects on July 30 amid concerns over sluggish progress in some works.
Dhar, who holds the Urban Affairs portfolio, said on Wednesday that while most projects are on track, a handful have fallen behind schedule.
“Some of the projects are in good progress, but a few seem a little bit slow. I have tentatively fixed July 30 for my own inspection. We will try to resolve all the issues,” he told reporters.
The Minister said the CMO had flagged the delays to his department.
“We got some information from the Chief Minister’s Office that a few projects are moving slowly. They are not very far behind, but the response time needs to improve,” Dhar said.
He added that the department will push contractors to accelerate work.
“We will request them to speed up at the earliest. During the inspection, I will ask contractors to follow up on their respective projects,” he said.
Citing Meghalaya’s climate as the main challenge, Dhar said the state has only a 6 to 7-month working window due to heavy rains.
“Meghalaya is a rainy place. The working season is very less. As for payments, there is no delay from our side. We release funds on time. Contractors say rain is causing delays, so we will coordinate with them accordingly,” he said.
On action against defaulting contractors, Dhar said penalty provisions are not uniform.
“The clause is different from tender to tender. Obviously there are penalty clauses. If a contractor delays without reason, they will have to face penalties as per their agreement,” he said.
He clarified that funds are not an issue and most projects are still within their stipulated timelines.
“There is no problem in releasing the amount. If they go beyond the time limit, they will have to go for project renewal. As of now, all projects are within the time limit, but some are a bit slow,” Dhar added.
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