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United News of India
a day ago
- Politics
- United News of India
No room for compromise on quality of development works: J&K Dy CM to officers
Jammu, June 20 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary asked engineers on Friday to follow the work completion deadlines so that the vital projects are dedicated to the public in time. Chairing a comprehensive review meeting of the Public Works Department here, focusing on the progress on development projects in Jammu Division under NABARD PMGSY, CRIF, Bridges and C&T (Macadamisation) schemes, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the officers to expedite the progress on all works ensuring their timely completion, maintaining all prescribed quality standards. The meeting was apprised of various projects which are at different stages of execution. The concerned officials provided updates on status of projects while highlighting the challenges being faced during implementation of these vital works. 'Instructions have already been given to the executing agencies for strict adherence to the approved plans, ensuring there should be no compromise with the quality of works. Strict action would be initiated in case of any deviation and low quality works', maintained the Deputy Chief Minister. While inspecting the ongoing works, the Deputy Chief Minister directed officials to conduct strict quality monitoring and ensure fast paced execution of the projects. He further directed the engineers concerned to review progress on the projects regularly and blacklist those contractors who are not showing satisfactory performance. While asking for undertaking developmental works in consonance with the local needs and aspirations, the Deputy Chief Minister said developmental plans should be formulated in consonance with the demands and convenience of people of the area. Taking serious note of alleged substandard work on some of the projects, the Dy CM emphasised that there is no room for compromise with the quality of work. Regarding delay in work execution caused due to forest clearance issues, the Dy CM directed the officers concerned to coordinate effectively and ensure timely approvals on this count. He directed all the divisions to work in close coordination to resolve the issues hindering the pace of progress on these ambitious projects. Secretary PWD (R&B) Bhupinder Kumar along with Chief Engineers, Superintendent Engineers, Executive Engineers and senior officials from concerned agencies were present during the meeting. Later, the Deputy Chief Minister visited Samba to inspect the damaged road on National Highway near Chichi Mata. The Dy CM enquired about the shortcomings in the previous designs and asked the officers to fix accountability of the executing agency responsible for the damage. He maintained that providing enhanced road connectivity, reliable bridges and other infrastructure for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth is the priority of the Omar Abdullah government. UNI VBH SSP
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Traffic chaos looms in Guntur as flyover work rushed without alternative roads
1 2 Guntur: The rushed attempt to launch construction of a new four-lane flyover at Sankar Vilas Centre could trigger severe traffic disruptions, with alternative diversion roads still incomplete. Union minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar had asked authorities to begin flyover works within a fortnight, following an ₹98 crore grant under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) nearly eight months ago. Despite the roads and buildings department finalising designs by January 2025, delays in asset acquisition and marking by the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) stalled the project. Although the GMC fast-tracked land handover, legal disputes over compensation pushed the plan into limbo. Nearly 50 property owners moved court demanding cash payouts under the new Land Acquisition Act, rejecting the civic body's offer of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds. Surprisingly, the GMC had failed to fully utilize the time to complete the development of alternative roads. The lack of coordination between the town planning and engineering wings in GMC has delayed the road development works. In fact, the newly developed road under the three-bridges junction was flooded with a simple rain last month leaving the civic authorities stumped. This road is important exit road for the commuters from Guntur west constituency to reach Vijayawada highway. The railway authorities closed down the passage near three-bridges junction for about four months for construction of additional railway track. The ruling TDP legislators opened the newly constructed road and drain claiming that they brought the decades long trouble of flooding of the road to an end. Within two weeks of its launch the traffic was completely stalled following a 30-minute rain leaving the legislators and officials shocked. "The problem at Donka Road (three-bridges junction) needed to be rectified before launching of Sankar vilas flyover work. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to handle the traffic in the city," said Guntur East legislator Mohammed Naseer. The GMC has been working on replacement of pipelines near Sarada Colony-Nehru Nagar road for the past several months. It was another exit road to reduce the traffic congestion in the city. Ironically, the GMC failed to exert pressure on the railway authorities to complete the Reddypalem-New Guntur railway station road to divert the freight vehicles without entering the city. The entry of container cargo vehicles into Sitaram Nagar road to reach New Guntur railway station is already crippling the traffic in the city. The city will be left with Pattabhipiram-Hindu college road and IRR to manage the massive traffic that moves between Guntur-Vijayawada.
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
"Heartfelt gratitude to PM Modi, Nitin Gadkari": Dy CM Diya Kumari on Rs 1,914 crore nod for 40 Rajasthan road projects
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 16 (ANI): Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari on Monday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari for approving Rs 1,914.71 crore for 40 state road projects under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF). The projects, covering a total length of 1,000.90 kilometres, aim to enhance road connectivity and travel efficiency across the state. The formal sanction of the projects is expected within the next couple of days. In addition to the CRIF funding, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also sanctioned new highway projects worth approximately Rs 1394 crore for the construction of 104.49 kilometres of roadways. These include the development of a four-lane Nagaur Bypass (from Amarpura to Gogelav) and the four-lane Nagaur-Netra road section. Deputy CM Diya Kumari said that the Rs 1914.71 crore CRIF allocation would primarily be used to strengthen and widen various segments of state roads -- including 31 major district roads, 8 state highways, and 1 other district road -- across multiple regions. She emphasized that the aim is to ensure smoother transportation and enhanced road safety for commuters in the state. Taking to X, Diya Kumari said, 'Heartfelt gratitude to the illustrious Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and the Honorable Union Highways Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari ji for approving 1914.71 crores for 40 state road projects of total length of 1000.90 km under Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) in Rajasthan.' She added, 'These projects mainly include strengthening and widening of sections of various state roads (31 major district roads, 8 state highways and 1 other district road). This will help in providing better road connectivity and seamless travel in various parts of Rajasthan.' (ANI)
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rs 81.47 crore approved for repair of 18km road in Saran
Chhapra: The state road construction department has approved Rs 81.47 crore for the widening and strengthening of an 18km-long road from Manpur to Garkha in Saran district under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a press release issued from his office, Saran MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Wednesday claimed that this was another important achievement towards the infrastructure development of the Saran parliamentary constituency. Rudy stated that this road starts from Manpur under Dighwara block and goes up to Garkha Bazar (left out portion of NH 722). He further mentioned that important villages and markets like Bhairavpur, Matihan Chowk, Kamalpur, and Maulvi Bazar fall on this road. "After widening, the width of this road will be 10 metres, which will make the traffic easier, safer, and faster. To get this scheme included in CRIF, Rudy held continuous meetings with the state govt's road construction minister and the Union road transport and highways minister," Rudy said. Rudy expressed hope that in the future, this would improve regional connectivity and boost employment and economic activities.
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE One in four senior bank staff say closing branches 'isn't a concern'
More than a quarter of senior banking professionals say the closure of bank branches isn't a major concern for their business, figures seen by This is Money reveal. While as many as 27 per cent of senior bank staff said branch closures weren't a challenge to their business, the same cannot be said for the public. There is growing concern over access to bank branches, as more find themselves living in bank and cash machine deserts. Some 60 per cent of bank customers said closures have made it more difficult to speak to a member of staff, according to the data from credit information provider CRIF. A majority also said banks are now less focused on serving and looking after their customers than they were five years ago. A third said the increasing numbers of bank closures have made it more confusing to get what they need form their bank because they are now unable to speak to bank staff directly and instead often have to find information on their website. As many as 13million banking customers still rely on physical branches, recent figures from the Financial Conduct Authority reveal. Sara Costantini, regional director for the UK and Ireland at CRIF, said: 'Financial services have changed rapidly over the last decade, as people continue to embrace digital banking and manage multiple aspects of their finances online. 'The knock-on impact of this has been the reduction in physical, in-person banking services. 'While many working in the sector don't see this as a major challenge to their business, bank branch reductions are continuing to fuel concerns over the quality of customer services and what further closures may mean for the future.' How many bank branches are closing? According to data from Which?, some 379 bank closures have been earmarked for 2025, with a further 22 already planned for 2026. This is despite rules brought in last year that banks must prove to regulators that local communities will still have free cash access if they close their branch. Since 2015, there have been as many as 6,377 branch closures across the UK, meaning two thirds of all the branches open in 2015 have now closed. Bank closures are increasingly giving rise to the creation of banking deserts. Data from Nomis shows that in 2024 there are as many as 15 'grey zones' in the UK. North East Derbyshire, a district with more than 100,000 residents, has no bank branches whatsoever. In the CRIF survey, a fifth of consumers said they are concerned about the closure of more bank branches over the coming five years. Costantini said: 'The findings highlight the difficult tightrope that banks now need to walk, balancing the need to ensure their digital services remain cutting edge and up to scratch, which has become a competitive area for so many, without losing the personal touch that more traditional services offer.' Meanwhile, its not just bank branches that are shutting their doors. Between October 2019 and January 2024, there was 30 per cent reduction in the size of the UK's ATM network, likewise creating ATM dead zones and stifling Britons' access to cash. Some 23,000 ATM's are expected to be closed, leaving just 15,000 across the country, according to the UK's ATM network, Link.
