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| Incomplete phase of flyover inaugurated in Srinagar, CM misled! | | |  Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 11: In a major embarrassment for the state government, the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday inaugurated "incomplete" flyover in the summer capital of Srinagar.
Officials said in a bid to "hide the chronic delay" in the completion of Jahangir Chowk Ram Bagh (JCRB)flyover, the government had decided to complete it in phases, though there was no such clause in the agreement.
Officials said the "first phase" was supposed to be the portion of the flyover that would cater to the vehicular movement from Bakshi Stadium towards Rambagh and Barzulla as this was supposed to be one concrete wing of the overhead structure that would cater to the vehicular traffic on this route.
"But what the government inaugurated today is only the portion of the flyover wing towards Barzulla bridge as the part of the same wing which bifurcates towards the Ram Bagh is still incomplete as the ramp is still under construction," said a civil engineer, while pointing towards the structure.
Officials said it would take around a month more to complete this particular stretch.
Officials said, as per road safety norms, "flyover cannot be thrown open for traffic when portion of the same concrete wing is incomplete at a crucial curve."
"God forbid if a vehicle drives straight towards the Nati Pora, it will crash from some thirty feet height into the ditch where ramp is being constructed. This is sheer negligence," agreed a senior official.
He said in a bid to "overcome the challenge posed by the incomplete structure, caution boards would be installed lest any vehicle drives straight and falls."
Sources said the Chief Minister was "misled about the completeness of the project by some in the government, including her Cabinet colleagues." "If she knew before hand that even one single wing of this concrete structure is yet not complete, she would never come for inauguration but would have waited for a month more till this phase would be completed," said a Peoples Democratic Party leader.
The 36-month project started in 2013 has already missed several deadlines. Official said as the per the project agreement there were "no phases to complete the project but that it was to be completed in totality in the given time frame."
But given the chronic failure in project completion, the concerned "created a notion that the project has to be completed in phases."
In September, Vinod Sharma the then CEO of the Economic Reconstruction Agency which is executing the project, was transferred for failing to complete even the first phase of the flyover.
He was transferred after the CM personally reviewed the project and found project execution sluggish. But the phase is still complete even after inauguration.
Interestingly, the Public Works Minister Naeem Akhter has been telling media that there could be no deadline to complete the entire project.
Meanwhile a senior official while trying to downplay the matter said: "We got it inaugurated (without completing the Rambagh stretch) only for the benefit of people as traffic jams were on rise."
But why did the government act hurriedly?
(To be concluded) |
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