ANANTNAG: District Development Commissioner (DDC) Anantnag, Dr. Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat, chaired a key meeting with concerned officers to review the availability and supply of essential construction material, including boulders, quarry stones, nallah muck and River Bed Material (RBM), for various ongoing and proposed development works in the district.
The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Superintending Engineers of Hydraulics and R&B Departments, Divisional Forest Officers of Lidder and Bijbehara, District Mineral Officer, Executive Engineers of R&B Divisions, AD Tourism, AD Fisheries and other concerned officials.
During the meeting, the concerned officers apprised the DDC about the issues being faced by the executing agencies particularly due to the shortage of construction material. The Superintending Engineers of Hydraulics and R&B departments informed the chair that the non-availability of raw material, particularly boulders required by crusher units, has affected the pace of several works, including emergency road macadamization, construction of buildings and other essential infrastructure projects.
Taking note of the matter, the District Development Commissioner directed the District Mineral Officer (DMO) to identify suitable and legally feasible sources for extraction and supply of the key construction material to the executing agencies, in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures. He noted that the material supplied to various departments should be properly accounted for, with payments duly deposited into the Government accounts against proper receipts. He further stressed that the extraction and transportation of minor minerals must be carried out strictly as per the prescribed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other applicable norms.
Dr. Bilal emphasized close coordination among the Mining, Forest, R&B, Jal Shakti and other concerned departments to ensure uninterrupted availability of construction material for development works while maintaining full compliance with environmental and regulatory framework.
Instructing the officers to closely monitor the availability and distribution of material, the DDC asked them to ensure that no avoidable delays hinder the execution of time-bound and emergency works.
