Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on saturday said considering the increasing impact of climate change, the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by disasters would be one of the biggest challenges in the years ahead.
Sukhu was speaking at the North Zone Inter-State Interactive Session on ‘Quality Assurance in Public Works Departments’, attended by senior officers and engineers from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan states, here.
The CM said that Himachal has witnessed several natural disasters over the past three years, where the role of the Public Works Department (PWD) has been highly commendable.
“At present, around four per cent of the GDP is being spent on disaster reconstruction, a figure that could rise to 14 per cent by 2050. In this context, embracing modern technologies and expanding PWD capabilities becomes imperative,” he added.
Sukhu said the state government had initiated wide-ranging reforms in the PWD to equip it to effectively meet future challenges, besides ensuring sustainable development.
“Even though roads remain the life-line in our hill state, the PWD must move towards advanced infrastructure development, including tunnel construction and high-rise buildings, with simultaneously adopting new technologies and work practices,” he said.
Sukhu suggested that the department could play a greater role in areas such as dam construction and the government could consider broadening the department’s mandate in the future. He also released the book titled ‘Quality Control for Road Works’ on this occasion.
Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that capacity building and the adoption of modern technologies were the need of the hour. He said that such interactive sessions provide engineers with valuable exposure to innovative technologies and best practices.
Referring to the challenges posed by global warming, he stressed the need for developing new approaches and innovative solutions across northern India. He said that sustainable development had become an essential priority in the present times.
The PWD Minister added that Himachal has a road network of approximately 45,000 km and that most Panchayats in the state are now connected by roads.
“Maintaining and preserving this vast infrastructure in a sustainable manner remains a major challenge. To address this, the state government had formulated a new drainage policy aimed at improving the maintenance and longevity of roads,” he added.
He said that the prevailing situation in the Middle East had led to an increase in the cost of construction materials, placing additional pressure on development projects and addressing these emerging challenges remains a key priority.
Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, MLA Vivek Sharma, Special Secretary, GAD Harbans Singh Brascon, Engineer-in-Chief, PWD S.P. Jagota along with other senior engineers and officials from various northern states attended the meeting.
