Ranchi, Nov. 26: Chief minister Rabhubar Das has begun reviewing the performances of various government departments, asking the respective secretaries to expedite the process to utilise maximum plan head funds with a little over four months left for the end of 2015-16 financial year.

Today, Das took stock of the functioning and progress of forest, environment and climate change, building construction, commercial taxes and industry departments at Project Building.

While reviewing the performance of forest, environment and climate change department, Das asked the officials to solve issues related to pending clearances to operationalise sand ghats, stone crusher units within 15 days. He further stressed that massive plantations ought to start in vacant land on the premises of government offices, schools, colleges and other places under the Centre's Compensatory Afforestation Management Plan Authority (Campa).

Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR), the proposed fossils park at Sahebganj in the name of famous botanist Birbal Sahni and the deer park along Ranchi-Khunti road among other wildlife projects also featured in the discussions. According to officials, the chief minister suggested that Project Tiger director Rajesh Gopal's valuable advice could be sought for better management of PTR.

The chief minister was, in turn, informed that out of Rs 256.73 crore allocation, around Rs 70 crore had been so far spent on various projects like plantation and afforestation drives.

At the building construction department meeting, Das directed the officials to complete construction of the new state Assembly in three years. Last week, the state government invited tender for the Rs 400-crore project. The chief minister also issued directions to ensure early start of work on Jharkhand Bhavan in Delhi.

Das said that he wanted to inaugurate a new collectorate building in Dumka on Republic Day, that is January 26, next year. Department officials informed him that work on similar buildings was going on in Daltonganj and Chaibasa.

Building construction department secretary K.K. Soan said that out of Rs 250 crore allocated to them this financial year, the department had already spent Rs 127 crore.

Later in the evening, Das reviewed the works of the industry department, where he directed the officials to prepare a policy for promotion of micro, small and medium enterprises keeping in mind that cottage industries get a boost in rural areas across the state.

Projects like Amritsar-Delhi-Calcutta industrial corridor and Barhi grouth Centre were discussed.

"At the review of commercial taxes department, the chief minister was told that the department had collected a revenue of Rs 4,871 crore till October 2015, which is 79 per cent of the target," said commercial taxes department secretary Nidhi Khare.

The meetings also saw the presence of chief secretary Rajiv Gauba, planning-cum-finance department's principal secretary Amit Khare, chief minister's principal secretary Sanjay Kumar, development commissioner R.S. Poddar, forest secretary Sukhdev Singh and building construction department secretary Soan among others.

Another set of reviews of other departments will follow tomorrow.