Lucknow: To fast-track tourism infrastructure projects, tourism minister Jaiveer Singh on Thursday set a Nov 20 deadline for completing all ongoing works and warned officials against delays in execution.Chairing a high-level review meeting of the tourism and culture department in Lucknow, Singh instructed departments and executing agencies to complete tender approvals and issue sanction letters for newly approved projects by May 20.“Results should be visible on the ground by Nov. The culture of delaying files and passing responsibility will not be tolerated,” Singh said.Officials said the government wants major tourism and cultural infrastructure projects to be ready before the election cycle intensifies later this year.The minister also expressed dissatisfaction over what he termed inaccurate progress reports submitted from some districts. He said teams from the headquarters, along with photographers, would conduct regular field inspections to physically verify project execution and quality.Singh directed officials to focus on faster implementation instead of “excessive paperwork” and said projects linked to the chief minister’s vision should be treated on priority.During the meeting, he reviewed several pending initiatives, including heliport projects proposed in Agra and Mathura. He also directed officials to expedite proposals under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme, including projects planned in Naimisharanya.Officials were further asked to prepare districtwise reports of all tourism and culture projects undertaken since 2017, detailing project costs, approvals, expenditure and status.Additional chief secretary, tourism and culture, Amrit Abhijat, directed executing agencies to create fixed payment schedules to prevent delays caused by pending dues and work disruptions.
