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| People continue to suffer as contractors loot exchequer | | Mess in snow clearance work | |  Early Times Report
Budgam, Jan 6: At a time when people are facing acute hardships due to recent snowfall, the authorities on the other hand are involving such contractors for snow clearance work whose only job is to loot state exchequer in one way or the other.
Details available with Early Times reveal that for 48 hrs authorities did not clear Bonen -Batwodder road under PMGSY. The snow was cleared for the sake of it on Sunday afternoon as snow continues to be on the road. Local residents have appealed Chief Secretary J&K , Deputy Commissioner Budgam and Chief Engineer PMGSY to intervene.
There are reports that many contractors whose services are being availed by various Government agencies for snow clearance are allegedly preparing fake bills in association with the officials of R&B , PMGSY , Mechanical Engine-ering Department , Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SM-C) and other line departments.
" Some JCB came to our area to clear snow from Bonen Batwodder road in Budgam on Sunday. Instead of throwing the road open , the contractor has aggravated our problem as 50 % of the snow is still on the road and the same will harden during night hours and will become slippery for the whole month of January as temperature continues to be below zero until January end. We have already informed DC Budgam who has assured us of quick action " said Mushtaq Ahmad a local Social Activist from Batwodder Surasyar
As reported last year by Early Times Srinagar Munici-pal Corporation (SMC), Mechanical Engineering Wing and R&B executed snow clearance works in various areas of Kashmir valley, but in many areas the work was not at all executed and with the passage of time when the snow has started melting on many link roads, Government officials from SMC , R&B and Mechanical Engineering wing prepared bills amounting to crores of rupees in connivance with some contractors whose JCB's were used during the snow clearance work. These illegal practices are still being adopted in Budgam , Shopian , Pulwama , Baramulla and Kupwara districts
" RTI Movement has been demanding that all the vehicles undertaking snow clearance should be fitted with close circuit cameras or the snow clearance works should be video recorded, but this is not at all done . We also demand that snow clearance work in remote areas of state be undertaken under MGNREGA so that not only small and link roads are thrown open but this generates livelihood as well for people of the villages during winter months when people in rural areas are mostly jobless " said Dr Raja Muzaffar Chairman RTI Movement |
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