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| Even Guv's rule failed to assuage wounded Jammu roads | | | Abodh Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 3: As three months of Governor's rule comes to an end today with PDP-BJP alliance Government starting its second innings, it is regrettable that dangerous and devastated Jammu roads failed to invite the attention of the Governor who shall otherwise be accredited for doing colossal work in both Jammu and Srinagar in this short span of time with merely two advisors in assistance.
Repaired less than six months ago, city roads in Jammu have become death traps at most places, jeopardizing lives of the commuters and no eye brows are being raised for the blatant drain off of public money by the department of PWD (R&B). Controversy had marred the annual repairs of the city roads last fiscal, delaying the process by months and putting people to gross inconvenience.
ET had reported that a former Chief Engineer R&B had floated a tender for the revamp of city roads wherein it was specified that the contractor who wins the contract shall be responsible for the upkeep of the roads for three succeeding years. Such a condition would have hurt the vested interests and deep rooted commission culture in the department and hence a conspiracy was hatched to defeat the peoples' friendly initiative of the former Chief Engineer. Not only was the CE concerned elbowed out to relegation, the work was delayed allegedly at the behest of then Minister for R&B.
As per the sources, the hot mix plants in the state are owned by affluent politicians who were responsible for using poor quality bitumen in the relaying of roads, and such an initiative of maintenance of roads for three succeeding years would have hurt their interests. A controversy was stirred by the vested interests to stop work on the new term and conditions, so that they could escape stringent measures that would have made them accountable for the quality of their work.
Now, as the new Government is preparing to start its second innings, the city roads are in shambles once again. Unseasonal rains have accelerated the decay on the poorly laid roads. Sources in the R&B department while hinting at the deep rooted nexus between politicians, hot mix plant owners, engineers and contractors said that had an inquiry been ordered in the poorly laid roads during Governor's rule, it would have unearthed a big scam that has bled the state exchequer for decades.
ET learnt that Chief Engineer Jammu has again asked the executive engineers of various divisions to assess the damages to the roads immediately so that repair work could be taken up. "The mafia would be at work again to plunder public money. Unless new guidelines are made to fix accountability on contractors and engineers concerned, deep potholes shall appear on the roads within weeks and culprits shall walk away laughing at the system" said a retired engineer of the R&B. |
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