Chhattisgarh govt forms collector-headed construction committees in 3 Naxal-hit districts

Raipur, Apr 1 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government has constituted district-level construction committees in three Naxal-affected districts of Bastar division to ensure transparency and accountability in construction works, an official said on Tuesday.
This initiative under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai will not only increase administrative efficiency but will also accelerate development in Naxal-hit areas as well as prevent corruption, he said.
The state's General Administration Department has issued an order regarding the formation of a 'Zila Nirman Samiti' (District Construction Committee) in Sukma, Bijapur and Narayanpur, the worst Maoist-hit districts, he added.
"Chief Minister Sai has clearly stated that corruption will not be tolerated at any level. Ensuring quality and transparency in works being carried out using public money in Naxal-affected areas will be the top priority. The construction committee has been formed for better implementation, monitoring and evaluation of construction works," an official statement said.
The Collector of the district will be the chairman of the committee while the Superintendent of Police (SP), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zila Panchayat, Divisional Forest Officer, Executive Engineer of Public Works Department, District Treasury Officer and District Head Officer of the concerned work will be its members, it said.
The working area of the District Construction Committee (DCC) will be the entire concerned revenue district. Work up to Rs 10 crore can be done through the committee, it said.
"Administrative approval of the works will be issued by the competent authority under the current rules. The works to be done through the DCC will be determined by the Collector. The works which are not possible to be completed even after inviting online tenders three times due to unavailability of willing contractors, such urgent and unavoidable construction works will be done through the DCC," the release said.
There are instructions to not get the work done through the DCC as far as possible in those blocks of the district which are not severely affected by Naxal menace, it said.
The inspection, supervision and evaluation of the works will be done by the PWD or any competent technical officer appointed by the collector, it said.
This strategy of the CM is a decisive step towards strengthening the basic principles of development, trust and transparency of state governance, it added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)