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| Chief minister Nitish Kumar attends the review meeting in Patna on Thursday. Telegraph picture |
Patna, Dec. 20: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today directed government officers to resolve land issues at the earliest and ensure smooth implementation of various schemes, including construction of Anganwadi centres.
“The chief minister reviewed performances of various departments and the centrally sponsored schemes. He directed the officers to complete all the schemes at the earliest. He also reviewed problems related to land availability in connection with the implementation of various schemes,” principal secretary, planning and development department, Vijoy Prakash said.
Of the total plan outlay of Rs 28,000 crore in the current fiscal, various state government departments have so far (December 18) spent Rs 13,456 crore, he said, adding that there was a total expenditure of 42 per cent during the corresponding period in the last financial year.
The chief minister directed various departments to talk to the Union ministries concerned for release of funds to ensure timely completion of the schemes, Prakash said. He added that Nitish also emphasised on strengthening BELTRON and BREDA for better efficiency.
Kumar, who reviewed the performance of the energy department, took updates about the steps taken by Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd to augment power generation. The chief minister was informed about renovation and modernisation of Kanti and Barauni thermal power stations and the latest report vis-à-vis land acquisition for various power projects.
To strengthen the distribution network system, the chief minister directed the officials to replace transformers within 24 hours in urban areas and 72 hours in rural areas, secretary, energy department, Sandeep Pondrik said.
It was also decided to improve infrastructure facilities for repairing transformers without compromising with quality, Pondrik said, adding that the chief minister directed to keep stock of transformers ready for replacement within the shortest time.
Nitish also directed the department to set up a control room in the power holding company to redress complaints related to supply at the earliest.
The chief minister, who has directed the officials to replace all 72,000km of wires, including the old and the dilapidated ones, was informed that 19,000km of wires across the state has so far been replaced and work is on to replace the rest of the cables.
The meeting was attended by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and planning and development minister Narendra Narayan Yadav, besides several top officers, including chief secretary A.K. Sinha and Nitish’s principal secretary, Anjani Kumar Singh.