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| STATE GOVERNMENT UNDER PRESSURE TO START WORK ON NEW DISTRICTS | | MAY APPROACH CENTRE FOR MORE FUNDS | |
Jammu, August 21 : The state Government is in a dilemma. The Chief Minister,Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad,announced with a spirit of pride that the state cabinet had gone beyond the Wazir Committee report and has decided to carve out eight new districts, four in the valley and four in the Jammu region. The cabinet cleared the creation of eight new districts and 13 tehsils on July 6.
However,till date there has been no work on the ground relating to the building of the infrastructure required for the new district and tehsil headquarters. Even prior to the allotment of funds the Government has not yet started the work on demarcating the areas that would fall in the new districts.
Informed sources said that when the state cabinet decided in favour of the creation of eight new districts,Kulgam,Ganderbal,Budgam,Shopian(all in the valley) and Ramban,Samba,Reasi and Kishtwar(all in the Jammu region) it had not taken into consideration the financial implications.It had hoped that the centre would provided some assistance but so far there has been no indications from Delhi that additional funds would be released for building the infrastructure.
Official sources said on Monday “more than Rs.800 crores were required for building the infrastructure because some of the proposed new district headquarters were very backward.
The sources said that the state Finance Department had no idea about the cabinet’s plan of clearing the creation of eight new districts with the result there had been no allocation for the project in 2006-2007 budget.
With pressure mounting on the Government for implementing its commitment on the creation of new districts senior functionaries of the Departments of finance and planning were exploring the possibility of diverting part of the funds which the state Government will receive under Bharat Nirman programme for developing Srinagar and Jammu capitals into mega cities.Reports said that between Rs.300 and Rs.400 crores would be made available by thje centre for the programme during next three years and if part of these funds were diverted it could help the state Government in building hospitals,dispensaries,school buildings in the new district headquarters.
One report said that the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues may renew their appeal to the centre for releasing separate funds for building infrastructure in the new district headquarters on the plea that the programme was people friendly. Once a beginning was made it could help the congress in mustering support of the electorates from the new districts during the next Assembly poll.
One thing is clear that the cabinet decision was taken in haste to silence those critics who had been berating the ruling coalition for not fulfilling its promises made in the 2002 poll manifesto regarding the implementation of the Wazir Committee report. |
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