Administrative sources said instructions have been sent to districts to make all roads fit for traffic, with emphasis on avoiding commuter difficulties during the Puja period. The campaign aims to pre-empt disruptions caused by damaged surfaces and improve safety and mobility for festival traffic.
The drive will mark the first Durga Puja under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Adhikari, making maintenance of civic services and infrastructure a central administrative challenge ahead of the festival. With many municipalities and panchayats still controlled by the previous ruling Trinamool Congress, the state government is relying largely on the administrative machinery to implement development programmes at the grassroots.
In urban areas administrators appointed to run municipalities have been tasked with carrying out development works while in rural areas district magistrates, block development officers and other officials are overseeing implementation. The repair drive will be jointly undertaken by the state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department, the Public Works Department and the Panchayats and Rural Development Department.
Officials have been asked to identify roads requiring repair and to complete work on a priority basis, covering municipal roads, state highways, rural roads and other important stretches of connectivity. Senior officials at Nabanna have been instructed to ensure there is no scope for public inconvenience during Durga Puja and the government has set October 10 as the deadline to secure smoother road links across the state.