Akshay Azad
Jammu, Mar 12: Facing hurdles in the implementation of reforms under Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM), the Jammu and Kashmir State Government is mulling to handover roads falling in both capital cities of State, to respective Municipal Corporations.
The new proposal of Government will overburden citizens of both cities, who are already facing hard days to meet both ends due to huge inflation rate, as user tax will also be introduced in all the services in coming years.
Sources informed Early Time Plus that for the implementation of reforms of JNNURM the State Government was mulling to transfer around 18 functions to Urban Local Bodies, for which the Government has also identified the functionaries and funds to ULB's.
"The Roads and Bridges sector to transfer all roads within the Municipal areas to Municipal Corporations of Jammu and Srinagar, except National Highways and State Highways," sources said, adding that a proposal moved by Housing and Urban Development Department has proposed for transferring Road and Building Division of Jammu to JMC while R&B Division left River Circular Road of Srinagar to SMC along with all assets.
"A road length of around 800 kilometers of Srinagar City within SMC will be transferred to SMC besides in Jammu city, a road length of 89.70 kilometers in north of River Tawi will be transferred to JMC in the first phase," sources said, adding that when the ULB's would become vibrant in the maintenance of the roads length in phased manner in other parts of Municipal areas in city, the remaining roads within JMC and SMC would be handed over to JMC.
According to proposal, sources said, the transfer of roads would continue for three years and the staff would be deputed on deputation basis to the said Corporations. "The Urban Local Bodies are supposed to introduce concept of user charges in all services that they render, more importantly at-least 50 percent of operation and maintenance cost of such services shall have to be recovered by ULB's," sources said, adding that the move would overburden the common man, who was already reeling under acute hardships, due to huge inflation rate.
Sources further disclosed that the Urban Local Bodies would have to raise enough resources by restructuring fee and tax structures to the extent that it would make themselves sufficient in case of all their functional requirements. |
