Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, November 24
A parliamentary review meeting in Shimla was disrupted on Monday after senior Public Works Department (PWD) officials failed to attend, drawing sharp criticism from local MP Suresh Kashyap.
Kashyap, who chaired the session of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA), directed the Deputy Commissioner to issue show-cause notices to the missing officials. He said the central government had already allocated substantial funds for rural road projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, including nearly ₹2,200 crore recently approved under Phase IV.
Despite this, he noted, several roadworks sanctioned in earlier phases remain incomplete, raising concerns about delays, oversight and departmental accountability.
He said the purpose of the meeting was to ensure welfare schemes reach beneficiaries and to review progress across departments — a task hindered by the non-attendance of key PWD officials. The MP also criticised the state government, accusing Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s administration of deliberately delaying panchayat and municipal elections. He alleged the Congress government was using the recent disaster as a pretext to avoid polls, while simultaneously planning celebratory events.
Kashyap said that areas like Mandi, which suffered significant damage, were still awaiting road restoration three months after the disaster. He claimed the state was “seeking applause” by distributing cheques using central funds, while development work had stalled. He further questioned why the government had booked buses in advance for celebrations but was “attempting to postpone” local body elections.
