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| Flash-floods, land compensation, diversion issues push deadline to Dec 2014 | | 4-laning of Jammu-Udhampur NH | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Oct 15: Flash floods coupled with legal and issues related to revenue department of Jammu and Kashmir have pushed completion date of 65 kilometre Jammu-Udhampur four-lanning project to December 2014.
Sources said that the earlier completion date was June 2014 but legal issues coupled with inordinate delay in getting compensation cases of the people affected by four laning of the 65 kilometre Jammu-Udhampur stretch settled. While these issues were being settled, sources added that floods in the first week of September worsened the scenario. They maintained that rain water entered the recently competed Nandini tunnels.
Sources further said that entry of water inside the tunnels resulted in stoppage of construction work for more than three weeks. They said that tubes had to be dewatered and this took time, resulting in further delay. The tunnels were all set to be commissioned by the end of September but the floods have now pushed the date to the last week of October. All the four tunnels have been completed and only some pavement work is pending, said the sources.
The Rs. 2400 crore Jammu-Udhampur four lanning project was to be completed by June 16, 2014 but now the revised date for completion of this prestigious project is December 31, 2014. Though SMEC International Private Limited has sought extension of time for completion of the project upto March 2015 but National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) did not approve this proposal and instead, asked the company to complete the project by December 2014.
They further told the company to complete the project within the approved cost and ensure that there is no cost escalation. NHAI made it clear to SMEC that if there is any cost escalation, they would have to pay it out of their own pocket. SMEC accepted the terms and conditions set by NHAI and did speed up the work but revenue and compensation issues coupled with land in certain areas being defence land has aggravated problems of the company.
According to sources, Project Director of Jammu-Udhampur four lanning project has already intimated authorities at the top and also the officials of Jammu and Kashmir government that 0.07 hectares of land belonging to Army in village Sitleen of District Udhampur is required for the project and proposal recommending derequisitioning army land has been forwarded by officials at the Northern Command to the Union Ministry of Defence for approval. But the same is pending with Defence ministry and need is to get the same expedited.
They further said that revenue department has already identified equivalent land at another place for being handed over to Army but no progress could be made until the army vacates the land held by it. Sources further said that five structures in Jhajjar Kotli on acquired land are yet to be demolished since the owners have outrightly refused to accept the compensation amount being offered to them. NHAI has already requested state government authorities to deposit compensation amount in the court and take possession of structures for completing the project.
Another issue which is causing unnecessary delay is related to the diversion of the soil conservation area in Chanas Kotli and Phalata alongwith land belonging to children graveyard in village Sien Thakran in Udhampur district. Despite administrative approval and government order for diversion of this land, sources said that the contractor engaged by NHAI has refused to take up the work in this stretch, citing serious law and order problems. They added that the contractor who has been awarded the contract wants the administration to get the issue of children's graveyard settled once and for all, so that work could be started.
Sources said that these issues especially the ones related to diversion of land have resulted in project getting unnecessarily delayed. They added that state government instead of posing for photographs on this four lanned highway should concentrate on removing the bottlenecks and moving ahead. They further said that 10 percent of the left over work has delayed the project by more than 8 months. "We could have finished earlier," said an official of NHAI. |
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