At this time in Punjab, the smell of asphalt wafts in every village, the sound of JCB is heard across the fields, the rhythm of ballast and rollers on tractors has become the new tune of Punjab. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has made roads not a show-piece of politics but the development of people’s rights. Work was already going on on 19,373 km of rural roads, and now by increasing this pace, a target has been set to make Punjab a 44,920 km road network in one go. This is not an announcement, it is a complete roadmap, which is visible lying on the ground.
Punjab Government Not only gave contracts, he changed the rules of the game. Removing the old politics of commission in lieu of tender in one stroke, he said – make the road good, money will be received on time, but there is a saying in Punjabi about rigging, Ek Bheeth, Ek Thok. And this warning did not become a stick, it became a system. Flying squad was formed, whose job is to check the depth, thickness, purity of bitumen of the road, everything on the spot. The video originates from a village, and the government’s steps reach that place directly. Earlier the system used to listen to complaints later, now the system remains alert before the complaint comes.
work is being done after investigation
At many places the material turned out to be substandard, tenders were cancelled, officials were suspended. A khala was being built like a wall without any spices; when the news reached the government, the work was stopped immediately. Contractor’s contract cancelled, new order for construction. This is the first time that the contractor thinks twice whether to build the road or take punishment. And when the responsibility is on the contractor, when the public is the inspector, when the Chief Minister gives a warning instead of a promise, then the age of the road itself becomes stronger. Here, along with construction, the contractor is also responsible for five years of repair, so that the road does not get tired within a year or two.
In villages, Sarpanch is now not just the Panchayat but the guarantor of the road. If he likes the road, he will sign it, only then the government will make the payment. If the public sends the video, if the material turns out to be substandard then the government takes action on that footage. This is such a model of development in which the public is not the same, it is the inspector, and the government is with it. No paper project, asphalt melting before our eyes, road shining black in the sun and white lime lines – this is the real report card.
Campaign to give new direction to Punjab
The inauguration of 19,000 km of roads at Tarn Taran Sahib on October 17 was not just an event, it was the direction of Punjab’s next decade. Mandi Board, PWD, Municipal Corporation, Municipal Councils – all are not moving on different paths, but are moving towards a bigger goal. The development of Punjab is no longer visible in books but on Google maps. Traders save hours in delivering goods, farmers’ crops reach the market on time, a village boy can return to his job in the city on the same day, ambulances do not get stuck, there are no potholes, there is speed. Roads are becoming the new definition of Punjab’s self-confidence.
Many speeches have been made in politics, many schemes have been made, but what is happening right now is writing a record. This work is being watched by the opposition, workers, village elders and city businessmen. But most of all the public is understanding that this is not just development, it is a change in the language of development. There is no announcement here, the machines moving on the ground are speaking. These long black lines of asphalt on the map of Punjab are the testimony of today, not of yesterday. And the story is like this, roads are no longer just being built, they are also being maintained. (Press release)
Also read: Punjab is the first state in the country to implement easy registry of property: CM Bhagwant Mann
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