NEW DELHI: With no significant progress in sight, the ministries of power and Ayush have asked the Central Public Work Department (CPWD) to expedite the construction of projects of national importance.
Besides, a new generator building at Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) in Bengaluru, the list of delayed projects includes the ‘One Health’ institute at Nagpur and four National Institutes of Virology (NIVs) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) proposal under the Centre’s flagship Atma Nirbhar Bharat Health Mission scheme.
In a recent letter to the director general (D-G) of CPWD seeking his intervention to fast-track the work, the economic advisor of the power ministry stated due to ‘excavation’ undertaken at the site long ago, testing activities at the High Power Laboratory (HPL) at CPRI is suspended as digging had caused damage to the structure and other properties in the vicinity.
According to the note, the construction of new Generators building, new transformers bays, HPTR (High Power Transformer) test cell and new test cell under the project of augmentation of short circuit test facilities at the Laboratory was given to the CPWD in July 2020 for which administrative approval and expenditure sanction were also communicated in March 2021.
“However, the progress of project has gone up to the extent of excavation of earth only,” the letter stated adding that the CPRI had already requested the local CPWD office to do the needful on ‘war footing’ so that testing activities could be resumed at the Laboratory, read the communiqué.
The foundation stone of three NIV buildings and the institute of ‘One Health’ were laid by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. The institution of medical excellence in Nagpur aims to further expedite enhancing health research in the country. The CPWD was entrusted with the responsibility of construction of these centres in 2021-22 and the first instalment of funds was also released.