Haryana CM Saini: Corrective Action on Project Deficiencies

Chandigarh, Jun 3 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed officials to take immediate corrective measures after the Quality Assurance Authority reported deficiencies in various projects during technical audits conducted across various engineering departments of the state.

Reiterating the government's commitment to ensuring quality, accountability and transparency in public infrastructure projects, the chief minister emphasised that the observations and findings of the Quality Assurance Authority (QAA) must be accorded due importance and acted upon promptly by all concerned departments.

After conducting a detailed review of the matter, three officers of the Public Works Department (Buildings & Roads) and three officers of the Development & Panchayats Department have been suspended.

Show-cause notices have also been issued to certain other officers of different departments. In the case of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation, recovery proceedings have been initiated against the contractor for deficiencies relating to the quality of work, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

Recently, the chief minister chaired a meeting of the QAA in Chandigarh to review the functioning of the authority and the findings emerging from technical audits carried out across the state.

Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, QAA Chairperson Rajeev Arora and Administrative Secretaries and senior officers of various engineering departments also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the chief minister said that technical audits conducted by QAA must be taken seriously by all departments and that quality should remain the foremost consideration at every stage of planning, design, execution and maintenance of public infrastructure projects.

Making a detailed presentation, Arora said that QAA teams have conducted technical audits of projects relating to buildings, roads, irrigation, public health and power sectors across Haryana.

It highlighted deficiencies, shortcomings and quality-related observations noticed during the audits.

Following the presentation, the chief minister directed all concerned departments to take immediate corrective and remedial measures on every observation communicated by QAA.


He instructed departments to fix responsibility on defaulting officers and agencies wherever required and to initiate recoveries from contractors in cases where deficiencies have been established.

Several departments have already initiated disciplinary proceedings against erring officials and recovery proceedings against contractors, the chief minister was informed.

Arora also presented a roadmap for the future under which major engineering projects would be evaluated at every stage on parameters, such as socio-economic impact, cost-benefit analysis and long-term utility.

The objective is to ensure that projects achieve their intended technical and financial outcomes throughout their life cycle while strengthening decision-making and accountability. Appreciating the initiative, Saini directed QAA to further develop the framework in consultation with concerned departments and stakeholders.

Reviewing earlier decisions aimed at improving the quality of engineering infrastructure, he reiterated that all engineering departments must get the designs and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) prepared either departmentally or, wherever outside expertise is required, only through consultants empanelled by QAA.

He clarified that consultants would merely provide technical support and manpower assistance, while the departments would be responsible for the design and DPRs.

All engineering departments were also directed to mandatorily engage third-party inspection and monitoring agencies (TPIMA) for prescribed categories of projects.

However, departments would continue to bear ultimate responsibility for project quality even where TPIMA agencies have been engaged.

To enhance transparency and enable citizens to access project-related information, Saini directed that the display of QR codes containing project details at every engineering construction site shall be made mandatory.

He also reiterated that unnecessary splitting or fragmentation of projects should be strictly avoided.