Agartala, September 15:
Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday said the state government is exploring collaboration with IIT Kharagpur to bring new technologies and innovative engineering solutions into development projects, while acknowledging that difficult terrain, prolonged rains, shortage of construction materials and other logistical constraints were delaying execution of several works.
Speaking at a programme marking the 26th Engineers’ Day at Pragya Bhavan here, Saha said engineers are backbone of all development but in the presence situation in Tripura they should come with innovative solutions to its challenges and play crucial role in fulfilling PM Modi’s dream of Vikshit Bharat by 2047.
During the programme Chief Secretary JK Sinha, IIT Kharagpur director Dr Suman Chakraborty, officer bearers of Institute of Engineers Tripura and large number of engineers engaged with various departments were present.
Saha said discussions were being held on identifying technologies and innovations developed by IIT Kharagpur that could be adapted for use in Tripura.
“We will see what new technologies and innovative ideas they have developed and examine how these can be used in Tripura,” Saha said, adding that a detailed discussion would be held on possible areas of collaboration, including biomedical engineering and other applicable streams.
The Chief Minister said the proposed cooperation could help the state adopt modern construction and engineering practices suited to its requirements.
Saha, who also holds the PWD portfolio, said development works in Tripura were facing several practical hurdles, even as the government remained committed to maintaining quality and completing projects at the earliest.
“Things cannot change all of a sudden in one day,” he said, stressing that the government was aware of the problems and was taking measures to address them.
He pointed out that Tripura effectively has only about four months of favourable working conditions on the ground because of prolonged rainfall. The state also faces difficult geographical conditions, landslides, high water levels and fragile soil conditions, besides dependence on other states for key construction materials.
“From March, the rains start and landslides occur. For construction of roads and buildings, stone chips are essential, but bringing stone chips from Meghalaya has also become difficult,” Saha said.
The Chief Minister said interruptions in the inter-state supply chain often affected construction activity in the geographically isolated northeastern state. He stressed the need to complete field-level construction during the limited working period while utilising the remaining months for documentation and other preparatory work.
Responding to criticism over the condition and quality of infrastructure works, Saha said the government was serious about both quality and timely execution. He said engineers and officials were being asked to examine technical requirements more carefully before preparing detailed project reports so that roads and other infrastructure did not repeatedly deteriorate after construction.
He also said action was being taken wherever lapses in quality or irregularities were detected, including suspension of officials.
On National Highway works, which have repeatedly drawn criticism from the opposition over poor road conditions and slow progress, Saha said the state government’s role was largely limited to facilitating land-related matters, while execution of the highways was under the Central government through the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The state, he said, had already informed the Centre about issues affecting highway works.
Addressing the broader infrastructure challenge, Saha said the state had made a major increase in budgetary allocation for infrastructure development, but physical execution remained subject to ground realities.
He also cited traffic management as another challenge in urban road works, saying roads could not always be closed for extended periods because of the limited road network and continuing movement of vehicles. At the same time, he said, authorities had been advised to take necessary measures, including temporarily restricting traffic where essential, to ensure proper execution of works.
Saha also referred to prefabricated and other modern construction technologies, saying successful implementation of such technologies in projects such as the Light House initiative could help build public confidence in their wider application.
The Chief Minister said the government was not ignoring the difficulties being faced in infrastructure development and was working with engineers and technical experts to find solutions.
“Wherever something is required, the necessary remedy has to be applied,” he said, maintaining that despite the hurdles, development work was continuing in the state.
