Shimla – Cracks and quality lapses have been detected in the under-construction office building for the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary near the main gate of the State Secretariat, prompting the state government to order a probe into the matter.
Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday directed Public Works Department (PWD) officials to submit a detailed report within 24 hours and made it clear that there would be no compromise on construction quality. He said strict action would be taken against any officer found responsible for the irregularities.
The issue came to light after the Quality Control and Design team under the Chief Engineer (Project) carried out an inspection of the site. During the inspection, deficiencies were found in the clear cover of steel used in the building’s columns, while cracks were observed on the upper edges of the B-row columns.
According to the inspection report, the multi-storey building, being constructed at a cost of Rs 19.72 crore, was not fully in accordance with prescribed standards. The report stated that mandatory testing of steel and concrete had not been conducted as required, and the curing process was also found to be unsatisfactory.
The inspection report, signed by the Engineer-in-Chief (Project), Superintending Engineer (Quality Control and Design) and Executive Engineer (Quality Control and Design) of the State PWD, described the cracks in the upper portions of the columns as a serious matter and recommended corrective measures.
Following the findings, PWD officials have been instructed to take the construction work seriously. The Quality Control and Design team of the ENC Project office will carry out another inspection of the site on January 20 to review compliance with the recommendations made in the report.
The detection of construction lapses in the high-value government project has brought the focus on adherence to quality standards and internal monitoring mechanisms within the Public Works Department.
