Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 17: The assertion of former Chief Minister, Gulam Nabi Azad to develop Directorate Jammu on the pattern of Kashmir Floriculture Department is virtually proving as a hollow announcement as after lapse of nearly nine years from its establishment, the successive governments have failed to identify land for the construction of Directorate office.
Source in department revealed that from the very beginning the Office has been running in private accommodation since 2007 at Gandhi Nagar area of Jammu and every year the same department pays Rs 3.60 lakhs yearly to private owner as rent, adding, "In the last around nine years, the department has paid nearly Rs 33 lakhs so far to building owner", source said wishing anonymity.
"However, the department concerned has repeatedly send communiqué to the higher officials for allotting a piece of suitable land for the construction of Directorate office, but every time they didn't heed to the matter", source added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Directorate office of Jammu was established during the tenure of former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had also claimed to develop the Directorate's office on the pattern of directorate office Srinagar, so that the same would have been developed the parks and Botanical garden, Bhour Camp on the pattern of Kashmir's Tulip garden and Nishant garden.
"But unfortunately, nine years has been passed, the Directorate Office, Jammu neither succeeded to identify land for its own, nor succeeded to develop the Botanical garden and parks in Jammu province", source reveled.
"On one hand, the government has been giving step motherly treatment to Jammu region and has not been allocating sufficient funds for development of parks and gardens and other hand, it has also turned a deaf ear to the bleeding of public money in the form of rent being paid by department to private owner", source alleged. |
