Chandigarh, Oct. 15 -- Newly appointed UT chief secretary H Rajesh Prasad on Tuesday chaired his first meeting with the engineering department and directed officials to ensure time-bound execution of development and maintenance projects of Chandigarh's infrastructure. Prasad, who assumed charge as the Chandigarh chief secretary on October 8, directed the department to closely monitor and identify bottlenecks in the execution of projects and take appropriate actions in consultation with other departments where inter-departmental issues are involved. He also reviewed the progress of important ongoing construction and maintenance projects related to roads, government and institutional buildings. Prasad emphasised the need for innovation, efficiency and accountability in ensuring that the city's infrastructure keeps pace with its growing administrative and civic needs. A comprehensive presentation was made regarding the sanctioned strength of technical staff, vacancy position and efforts being made for filling up the vacant posts. Prasad directed officials for expeditious filling up of vacant posts, particularly in the technical cadre, to impart efficiency to the execution of works. The chief secretary also directed that new proposals/schemes which require approval of the Union ministry of home affairs in view of the revised delegation of financial powers be expeditiously submitted to the ministry for concurrence. He further directed the department to ensure adherence to timelines in the execution of projects and to utilise the allocated budget for the financial year 2025-26. During the meeting, the chief secretary was briefed on the department's major initiatives and best practices. The restoration and preservation of the Capitol Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was also discussed, and details of works being undertaken were presented. The secretary, agriculture, Chandigarh administration, Pardeep Kumar, chaired a meeting on Tuesday to review ongoing developmental and infrastructural works at Sector 26 Mandi, Chandigarh. The review focused on the progress of cement concrete road construction, installation of LED lights and high-mast CCTV cameras and public health-related works. The Market Committee outlined several initiatives, including strengthening the enforcement wing for removing unauthorised vendors and installing barriers at entry and exit points for better vehicle management....