| Administrative inertia delaying double lanning of Dayalachak-Challan road | | Two years on, R&B fails to pursue case with Union Ministry | | Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 18: Administrative red tape has been delaying the double lanning of Dayalachak-Challan road, as after the lapse of nearly two years, Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department has failed to pursue the case with Union Ministry of Roads and Highways.
According to documents in possession of Early Times, it has been revealed that Border Road Organization (BRO) on January 8, 2013 had sent a written communiqué vide number 2027/LTTP-II/D-R/21/E2 to Executive Engineer PWD (R&B) division Kathua for taking over of road from Dayalachak to Challan (Ramkot) district Kathua from BRO, for double lanning.
The BRO authorities had also written in the communication that the aforesaid work has been included in BRDB program as GS works and funds being provided by GS, as intimated by headquarter DGBR. "Therefore you are requested to handover the road (Dayalachak to Challan) at earliest to start National Highway Double lane work", the communiqué read.
Meanwhile, in response to communication, the then Chief Engineer of PWD(R&B) Jammu, Sheikh Tehseen Mustafa, after repeated letters to Commissioner Secretary, wrote a reminder on May, 18, 2013 according to official communication number CEJ/G-42/5885-88 for handing over the road to BRO.
Sources in PWD office Kathua, informed Early Times that for the last nearly two years, they had received no details from higher authorities for handing over of the road to BRO.
"Nearly 25 kilometers Dayalachak-Challan road is a national highway and is to be developed as double lane project but only 15 kilometers of road was blacktopped while remaining 10 kilometers is still without blacktopping", sources said, adding that for every national highway, Union Ministry of Highways has to provide funds, but so far higher officials of R&B department have not been pursuing the case and there was no further movement on the case.
Sources further said that Commissioner Secretary PWD had reportedly written to Union Ministry of Highways for handing over the road to BRO, but the case was not pursued as desired, resulting into delay in double lanning of road.
Executive Engineer PWD Kathua, KS Nathyal said that the decision to handover the road to BRO was to be taken by higher authorities and for the last few months, he got no direction from higher authorities to hand over the road.
He further said that recently, on the instructions of PMO, they had also formulated a Detailed Project Report (DPR) costing Rs. 74 Crores, for double lanning of project. |
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