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| Work on ring roads going at snail's pace | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 22: The J&K government seems to have woken up from the deep slumber as it discussed the status of the ring road projects in Srinagar and Jammu, the work on which is going on at a snail's pace.
Minister for Revenue, Hajj & Auqaf and Parliamentary Affairs, as per an official handout, chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of land acquisition proceedings for construction of ring road projects around Srinagar and Jammu cities and discussed the issues hampering the progress in the completion of land acquisition proceedings.
The meeting however has been called at a time when even 10 percent of the funds issued by the Centre have been utilised on ground. What, however, prompted the government to review the status of the work is still unknown.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 7, 2015 announced a whopping economic package of Rs 80,000 crore for various developmental projects in the state. However, the work on most of the projects is either going on at a snail's pace or is in limbo due to the reasons best known to the R&B ministry of the state.
As per the official documents in possession of Early Times, out of the Rs 80,000 Cr package, an estimated 42,668 Cr was kept for R&B projects in the state. Out of the sum, 2700 Cr was kept for Bharat Mala project. The projects in the state were proposed to be taken up under Bharat Mala for length of about 105 Kms covered under tourist connectivity.
As per the documents, out of the 80K crore package, the government had claimed last year that Rs 1400 crore were proposed for construction of semi ring road in Jammu, Rs 2700 crore for projects proposed to be taken up under Bharat Mala for length of about 105 Kms covered under tourist connectivity, Rs 130 crore for construction of double lane and Batote-Kishtwar-Sinthanpass-Anantnag (NH-IB, now NH-244), Rs 1800 crore for Srinagar-Shopian-Quazigund (2-Lane PS+Major Bridges), Rs 5100 crore for Jammu-Akhnoor-Poonch (2 Lane PS/4 Lane), Rs. 2100 crore for Chennani-Sudhmahadev-Goha including 3.0 km long tunnel (2 Lane PS), Rs. 4153 crore for Pakal Dul project subject to environmental clearance.
"The fact is that the fast track working is missing. If any other state would have been given such a whooping sum, it would have transformed itself into a prosperous place but here everything turns flat in the end," said the officials.
For the construction of the Ring Road project, Kashmir Valley has been sanctioned Rs 1860 Crores while as for the same project in Jammu region, the government has sanctioned 460 crores less than Kashmir which is Rs 1400 crores. "This is discriminatory approach and tantamount to taking the people of the Jammu region for granted. This has to be stopped or else there would be no accountability within the government functioning.
The state authorities cannot adopt two different yard sticks for the same projects.
How could 460 crores more be incurred in Kashmir. It simply means the authorities are making the decisions focussed on appeasement," says an official privy to the development.
The central government last year in April sanctioned Rs 43 billion for two ring road projects in Jammu & Kashmir. While an amount of Rs 21 billion was at that time sanctioned for the Srinagar Two-/Four-Lane Semi-Ring Road Project, Rs 22 billion were sanctioned for the Jammu Semi-Ring Road Project. The Jammu Semi-Ring Road Project involves the construction of a 57 km semi-ring road while the Srinagar Two/Four-Lane Semi-Ring Road Project involves the construction of a 60 km semi-ring road in Srinagar.
"Here again, there was a discrimination in the central grant as well in the project. While there were 43 billion given for the construction of the semi-ring road in Kashmir Valley, you could well see that Jammu was asked to remain contended with even half of that amount. What would you call it if not discrimination?" says a senior official in the government, adding that it would have been incumbent upon the leadership of Jammu to raise voice over such a sheer injustice. |
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