Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 9: The callousness on part of Public Health Engineering Department (PHE) can be gauged from the fact that despite availability of funds worth Rupees 8 Crores for purchasing of two Advance Drilling Rig Machines, one each for Jammu and Kashmir division, the department has failed to procure them.
Sources in Ground Water Division of PHE informed Early Times that an year back, the state government had sanctioned worth Rupees 8 Crores for the procurement of two "advance drilling rig machines" (Reverse rotary rig machine) but due to dilly-dallying of department concerned, the procurement is still not done.
"Just after constitution of PDP-BJP coalition government in the state, the then PHE and Flood Control Minister had floated an idea for purchasing of two advance rig machines (four crores for each machine) to meet the requirement and sanctioned money and the department concerned had floated the tenders repeatedly but ironically after lapse of years, the department has not succeeded so for", said sources while wishing anonymity,
"However, the Groundwater division of Jammu has more than dozen percussion drilling rig machines.
Out of 13, 9 machines are functioning but not fulfilling the requirement because, the Percussion drilling rig machines are capable to drill only about 300 to 350 feet bore-well, whereas the advance drilling machines (Direct Drilling an Reverse Drilling Rig Machines) are usually being used to drill upto 1000 feet deep borewell", said an officials not to be mentioned here. They further said that owing to absence of advance machines' in the department, the groundwater wing still dependent on private players for Direct drilling machines and the department concerned is only busy floating tenders and nobody is coming forward for bidding, which reflects department's reluctance towards purchasing advance machineries. |
