The News Freedom
Chandigarh, November 3
Punjab Publis Works and Power Minister, Harbhajan Singh, on Friday said that the tenders floated recently for the upgradation of roads by the Public Works Department (PWD) evoked large participation and competition resulting in an overall savings of Rs 72 crore (about 21 percent) by allotting of 55 road works of about 430 km plan roads at the cost of Rs 270 crore against the estimated cost of Rs 342 crore.
Divulging details, the PWD Minister said that the transparent and efficient working of the Punjab government under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has been inspiring confidence among contractors and vendors. He said that now these contractors and vendors are quite aware that they will not have to pay any bribes to anyone, and only those who can deliver maximum quality output at minimum cost will get the contract.
The Minister said that the savings achieved by the department will be used to provide improved facilities to the people of Punjab. He said that the PWD officers were also directed to ensure that all the projects should be completed in a time-bound manner at the most economical costs adhering to the specifications.
The Power and PWD Minister said that the best efforts are being made by both departments to create quality infrastructure in the state at economical cost. He said that the Punjab government would save several hundred crores by completing infrastructure projects within time and at a lower than estimated cost, and the amount saved would be used further to develop the required infrastructure in the state.