NEW DELHI: In deference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s wish to see construction work on the Chardham highway project in real time, the highways ministry will use drones to film the progress and share it with the PM’s office, sources said.

The project will provide better connectivity to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

Interacting with secretaries and chief secretaries during his monthly web-based interaction ‘Pragati’ on Wednesday, PM Modi said this was a very prestigious project as thousands of commuters used this network of roads every day. Sources said the PM cited how he was more keen on development of this road network in comparison to an earlier proposal of rail connectivity to the Uttarakhand hills.

The 900-km road network is being developed at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore to provide all-weather connectivity.

The idea of real-time monitoring of road construction came up after the Uttarakhand chief secretary said that he kept track of progress of works in Kedarnath using cameras, an official said.

The PM also reviewed progress in handling and resolving of consumer grievances. After he was told that the number of grievances received through National Consumer Helpline had crossed four lakh, the PM asked the consumer affairs department to improve the administrative arrangements for quick relief to consumers.

Earlier in the day, consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan asked the Bureau of Indian Standards to put details of approved specifications for products and services in the simplest manner possible, which consumers could easily understand. “Our aim is to make things easily understandable for every common man and take steps to address their concerns. BIS has been asked to take quick action against offenders,” Paswan said.

