Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has taken major action against serious irregularities discovered regarding the quality and inspection of road construction works in the Ranikhet Construction Division. The government has suspended two engineers with immediate effect. The suspended officers include Executive Engineer-in-Charge Vijendra Singh Mehra and Assistant Engineer KK Pandey. Both officers were posted in the Ranikhet Construction Division of the Public Works Department and were directly responsible for the construction and inspection of various roadways.
According to the report received by the government, serious negligence was observed in the review of construction and repair works being carried out on the 9.45-kilometer-long Pantgaon-Chamadkhan-Simaldhar-Sailapani, as well as the 32.50-kilometer Bhikiyasain-Belti-Vinayak motorway, and other roadways. It was found that instead of focusing on the quality of the construction works, inspection reports were submitted without proper testing and verification. A departmental investigation also revealed irregularities in the review of the progress and technical aspects of construction projects, which could have affected the quality of construction.
Based on the report, the government acknowledged that the negligence committed by both engineers not only contradicted departmental procedures but also threatened to misuse public funds and adversely impact the quality of construction. Taking this into account, the Uttarakhand government has immediately suspended them. During the suspension period, both officers will not be able to engage in any other employment, business, or personal work. Their services will now be attached to the Chief Engineer’s office, and further departmental investigations will be conducted from there.
Public Works Department Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey stated that negligence in construction work will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and strict action will continue in such cases in the future. The Public Works Department will now re-review the work on the relevant roads to ensure quality construction. This action is being seen as a major step towards maintaining purity and transparency in departmental responsibilities. However, there are reports of suspensions against several other individuals as well. This means that action is being taken in this matter, both at the government and at the Public Works Department headquarters.
