Chandigarh, April 3 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday directed that the entire process of approving building plans for residential and commercial structures be made fully online, aiming to enhance transparency, improve citizen convenience, and reduce processing time.

Chairing a meeting of the Urban Local Bodies Department at the Secretariat here, the Chief Minister said timelines should be clearly defined and accountability of officials fixed to ensure timely approvals.

During the meeting, he also reviewed various aspects of the Urban Challenge Fund and plans for works to be undertaken in the state under the scheme.

The Chief Minister stressed the need to strengthen wastewater reuse systems in urban areas. He directed officers to ensure maximum utilisation of treated water from sewage treatment plants (STPs), including its use for irrigation of parks, industrial purposes, and agriculture.

He called for the development of the necessary infrastructure to facilitate reuse, including laying durable pipelines from STPs to parks and other end-use points. Special emphasis should be laid on utilising treated water in parks and green belts, he said.

Officers informed that all upcoming STPs in Haryana will mandatorily include provisions for reuse systems to promote water conservation.

Saini also directed the preparation of detailed data on the existing sewerage network across the state. He said an assessment should be carried out on when and on what population basis sewerage systems were laid in different areas.

Acknowledging that the population in several areas has increased significantly — up to three times in some cases — he stressed the need to redesign infrastructure keeping future requirements in mind.

Taking a firm stand on delays, the Chief Minister said any lag in development works would not be tolerated as the state moves forward in line with the vision of a “Viksit Bharat”.

He directed that all Urban Local Bodies projects be completed within stipulated timelines and warned against delays after tender allotment. Contractors must be clearly instructed to deliver quality work within deadlines, and additional manpower and machinery should be deployed wherever required to speed up execution.

The Chief Minister was apprised that GIS mapping of about 16,000 km of roads has been completed, and complaints are being addressed through the ‘Mhari Sadak’ app. He directed strict compliance with instructions to make roads pothole-free and warned of action against officials showing negligence.

The department has identified 2,276 roads across urban local body areas in Haryana.

Of these, 1,144 roads will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 510.34 crore, including some previously rural roads now falling under municipal limits.

In addition, 1,083 roads, covering 591.51 km, will be reconstructed at an estimated cost of Rs 594.91 crore. Another 49 roads, spanning 18.25 km, have been identified for patchwork at a cost of Rs 10.33 crore.

–IANS

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