βββββββBhubaneswar, May 30: In a bid to strengthen infrastructure quality and enhance transparency in public construction projects, the Odisha government has initiated a comprehensive review of the pricing mechanism for construction materials used across the state.
A high-level meeting chaired by Works Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh was held at Lok Seva Bhawan on Saturday to discuss the fixation of rates for materials required in the construction of roads, bridges, buildings and other public infrastructure.
Officials said the state government is committed to ensuring the use of high-quality construction materials while aligning their rates with prevailing market prices. The move is expected to bring greater transparency to project execution, speed up construction activities and ensure the optimal utilisation of public resources.
The meeting focused on the interpretation of notifications and rate schedules issued by various agencies, including the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the State Labour Commission, Odisha Forest Development Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).
Detailed discussions were held on the methodology for determining the rates of key construction materials such as sand, aggregates, cement, bricks and bitumen. Pricing mechanisms for electrical equipment, furniture and other miscellaneous items used in infrastructure projects were also reviewed. Officials deliberated on procedures to ensure that the rates fixed are realistic, accurate and reflective of current market trends.
Emphasising the importance of completing the exercise at the earliest, Singh directed officials to expedite the process to prevent delays in ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects.
The meeting was attended by the Engineer-in-Chief and Special Secretary of the Works Department Er. L.K. Padhi, EIC (Civil) Er. Satyabrata Behera, EIC (Design, Planning and Coordination) Er. Sameer Hota, EIC (Roads) Er. Dhyanachand Nayak, Chief Engineers Er. Priyabrata Samantaray, Er. Shibabrata Taria and Er. Arvind Tripathi, Finance Advisor Ratikanta Mahapatra, along with senior officials from the Water Resources, Housing and Urban Development, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj departments.
