news details |
|
|
| Red tapeism led to collapse of ADB sponsored projects: Harsh | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, July 20: Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) chairman Harsh Dev Singh has condemned the state government for alleged gross abuse of funds, misappropriations and other glaring irregularities in the utilization of huge grants received by it for construction of various developmental schemes from the Asian Development Bank during the last couple of years. According to press release, he pointed out that more than Rs. 500 Crore were provided by Asian Development Bank(ADB) from 2004-05 onwards for construction of roads, bridges and sewerage and drainage projects in different parts of the state but regretted that govt. has failed to show any tangible output on the ground. He said that the developmental schemes sponsored under ADB were to be executed through Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) which has
miserably failed to deliver and to ensure the construction and completion of the approved developmental projects despite lapse of 8-10 years due to vested interests. He said that several approved projects had been abandoned by the contractors while others were lingering for several years with the ERA remaining mute spectator and failing to take any action against delinquent agencies for reasons best known to it. Making special mention of Udhampur-Ramnagar road, Harsh Dev Singh said that the river Tawi bridge construction on it had been abandoned with the ERA extending the deadlines year after year for its completion. He said that the aforesaid road work approved at a cost of Rs. 37 crore including bridges had also been left incomplete at various locations.
Likewise, he regretted that worst was the case of Doda-Bharath road sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 27 crore, Kalai-Saki Maidan road sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 25 crore, Bani-Daggar road sanctioned at a cost of Rs.10 crore which had all been abandoned with the govt surrendering before the all powerful executing agencies due to their strong political affiliations and for other vested interests. He flayed the govt. for abandonment of Sidra-Mansar road and non-completion of 6kms stretch falling near Surinsar. He said that the sewerage project of Jammu west sanctioned at a cost of Rs.150 crore had also met the same fate with negligible progress registered on the ground. Harsh Dev Singh further flayed the authorities for arbitrary fixation of rates in the allotment of contracts to various executing agencies.
He said that there were huge variations in the fixation of rates which differed from scheme to scheme and no rational criteria seemed to have been followed for the purpose. Flaying the state govt. for its omissions and commissions in implementation of schemes sanctioned under ADB, he called for year wise progress report of ERA from 2004 onwards in respect of all sanctioned schemes and fixation of responsibility for all lapses and irregularities committed in the process of implementation of said schemes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
