Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, today conducted an extensive tour of Udhampur district and inspected the ongoing developmental works on the PWD road from Jakhani Naka Point to via Lower Balli being executed under NABARD.

He also inspected the construction site of a 165-metre-span steel girder double-lane motorable bridge over River Tawi.

The Deputy Chief Minister was accompanied by Chief Engineer PWD R&B, Chenab Zone, Batote, Ashok Kumar Khokhar, Superintending Engineer, PWD R&B Circle Udhampur-Ramban, Shivangi Gupta, Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Dr Umesh Shan  and other concerned officers.

During inspection of the road project, the Deputy Chief Minister expressed concern over the slow pace of work. He directed the executing agencies to expedite the progress and ensure completion by December 20, 2026. He instructed the Superintending Engineer to closely monitor the execution of the project and ensure strict adherence to the prescribed quality standards.

Surinder Choudhary directed the executing agencies to mobilise adequate manpower and machinery and complete the work within the stipulated timeline. He asked the Executive Engineer PWD to issue a show-cause notice to the contractor for slow progress of work.

The Deputy Chief Minister also visited Government Girls Middle School, Sharda, where he inspected the attendance register of the teaching staff. He enquired about the sanctioned strength of teachers and the available infrastructure. He interacted with the students and teachers and encouraged the students to remain focused on their studies, work hard and strive to achieve their goals.

Later, the Deputy Chief Minister visited Sharda Mata Temple and paid obeisance, praying for peace, prosperity and the well-being of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

During the tour, Surinder Choudhary also visited the construction site of the 165-metre-span steel girder double-lane motorable Salmay bridge over River Tawi, on the Udhampur-Ghordi road being constructed under NABARD.

During the inspection, the executing agencies were directed to mobilise adequate manpower and machinery, accelerate the pace of construction and ensure completion of the project within the stipulated timeline without compromising on quality.

The Deputy Chief Minister emphasised the need to expedite all ongoing developmental projects by deploying additional manpower and machinery and adopting double-shift operations, wherever necessary. He stressed that prescribed quality standards must be maintained and all projects completed within their respective deadlines.