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| Jammu's Rs 400 crore water supply project dropped from PMRP; funds, DPR issue? | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Feb 22: Inefficiency and delay in submitting Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the much hyped Rs. 400 crore scheme for 'Augmenting and improving water supply in Greater Jammu' has been dropped from Rs.31745 crore under Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme (PMRP).
According to the status report of Prime Minister's Delivering Monitoring Unit (DMU), the Rs. 400 crore project is no more part of PMRP. The DMU report asserts that the project was dropped due to paucity of funds. It says "Project could not be taken up due to non-availability of sufficient funds under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Project has been dropped."
Report further indicates that project was originally estimated to cost Rs. 552 crore and in contravention to what has been the precedence vis-à-vis cost of projects in Jammu and Kashmir, the cost of this vital project for Jammu city was revised and fixed at Rs. 396.50 crore yet the project was never taken up for execution under this central funding. If this is the reason given by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's DMU, state government had its own version of the story to narrate.
Joint Director (JD) Coordination, Planning and Development Department Bilal Ahmed when asked said "Scheme has not been dropped from PMRP but is actually now being funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). Centre had recommended for getting scheme funded by Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC)." Without assigning any specific reason; Bilal added that since J&K is not entitled to funding from JBIC, Asian Development Bank (ADB) was approached for funding.
When asked about the project having been shelved, he said "The projects very much there and is being implemented in parts." To further worsen the situation, Principal Secretary Planning B.R.Sharma on being contacted said "What you are saying is not in the list with us." However, Early Times investigation revealed that the project is no more part of PMRP and instead, when it was dropped, government preferred keeping the truth in the backyard.
If sources in the planning department are to be believed, the project was not dropped merely because of funding concerns but the department had failed to submit Detailed Project Report (DPR) on time and had been seeking some more time for completion of the same. The request was out-rightly rejected and state was told to arrange for funding on its own. Finding the situation slipping out of control, sources said that state approached the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
They added that even before approaching the bank, government got the same advertised in selected newspapers of Jammu and Kashmir regions separately. Hype was created and commoners were made to believe that it was state government which had planned for the first time to undertake massive water supply augmentation and improvement project for Jammu spread over two phases. It was stated that government was awaiting nod for financial assistance from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for an ambitious water project it plans to undertake for the city of Jammu.
It did not allow the unfolding of reality and instead, publicized something which was untruth and complete manipulation of facts. Government had then said that the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) had formulated a project worth Rs 500 crore for getting water from river Chenab for solving the problem of drinking water for Jammu. However, the truth was that the project was part of the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Package (PMRP) for Jammu region.
The project had been dropped and since the government knew about the regional dimensions of the issue, they preferred presenting the facts in a distorted manner. It needs to be mentioned here that Jammu has a population of 1.26 million and undulating terrain ranging from an elevation of 290 m to 450 m above mean sea level.
The average annual rainfall is 1,000 mm. River Tawi flows through it. Water supply comes from 130 tubewells adjacent to the River Tawi. Launched with much fanfare in 2004-05, the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Program (PMRP) is proving damp squib in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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