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| State's flagship road projects behind schedule by decades | | 'Dreams' far from being realized | |
Bashir Assad
Jammu, Feb 9: State's twin mega road projects - Mughal Road and Anantnag-Simthan-Kishtwar road - tipped as the alternate roads to Jammu-Srinagar National Highway are running behind scheduled first deadline by years now and if the work on the projects continues on the same pace, both could turn one generation projects.
Fresh deadlines are set after every previous deadline expires without fixing any accountability on the executing agencies as Government always attributes the delays to the difficult topographical terrains and unfavorable weather conditions but there is more in it than meets the eye.
The present dispensation led by Omar Abdullah has been claiming that Mughal Road was dream of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah but three generations later, dream is to be realized. Similarly, Congress claims that Anantnag-Simthan-Kishtewar road was dream of their leadership but the dream is still a distant one.
No doubt that adventure loving Omar drove on the Mughal road, but for the people of the State, his grandfather's dream remains far from realized. The historic Mughal Road was supposed to be completed by June 2008 and rest is history.
Now Minister for Roads and Bridges Abdul Majid Wani who took over the charge of the department just a few days ago has set the new deadline after voicing his serious concern over the delay in the execution of the project. Reviewing pace of progress on the prestigious project, Wani asked the executing agencies to stick to the targeted time frame for completion as a delay will result in escalation of costs besides loading un-seen additional burden on the State exchequer.
"The concerned engineers and executing agencies working on the Mughal Road project should complete all the seven major bridges by the end of May this year so that the cherished dream of fully re-opening of this historic road project comes true," Wani was quoted as having said in a meeting.
What is, however, interesting to note is that one, each tunnel on both Mughal and Anantnag-Simthan-Kishtwar roads were recommended by the surveyors. While one on Anantnag-Kishtewar road (Vailo-Singhpora) has been approved by the Government of India, the 7 Km underground tunnel in between Zaznar and Chata Pani on Mughal Road is still a dream-a distant one.
Now seven years down the line, Majid Wani has directed the engineers to prepare a comprehensive project report for construction of the underground tunnel. It is the proposed tunnel which could make Mughal Road an alternate for Jammu-Srinagar highway in the same way as Vailo-Singhpora tunnel could make the Anantnag-Kishtwar road an alternate link with rest of the country. The R&B portfolio was with the Chief Minister for more than one year but unfortunately he could not even get the project report done for construction of the tunnel.
It was only on Friday that truth about getting the tunnel approved came to the fore, when Minister for Haj, Auqaf, Floriculture and Public Enterprises, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed wrote a letter to the Union Minister for Surface Transport, C P Joshi thanking him for getting the project approved among 10 other such projects across the country by the Prime Minister.
But the fact remains that the mega project of Anantnag-Simthan-Kishtwar road which was undertaken by the BEACON was supposed to get accomplished by the year 2007. |
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