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| 'Millions being spent on extravagance to appease influential residents' | | Srinagar footpaths get Kota stone tiles as bad roads irk Jammu | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 20: In a shocking "show of extravagance and waste of public money", the government of this cash-starved Union Territory has started laying the "costly" Kota stone tiles on footpaths in Srinagar while bad roads continue to haunt Jammu.
In Raj Bagh locality of Srinagar, the government has started laying the marble like stones, otherwise used inside buildings for room flooring, as tiles for footpaths.
Official sources said millions are being spent on the project as a part of the "specially funded scheme" from the New Delhi. The officials, however, clarified that it was for the first time that such "costly stone tiles" were being used on footpaths in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said such beautification would cost millions even for a few meters of footpath. But ironically such a huge expenditure is being done in a locality where public movement is comparatively thin.
Official sources said main reason of doing such an "unwanted and extravagant" expenditure was that the area houses mansions of some of the most influential people living in Kashmir. "This is a posh colony and the residents of this area want to look different from others and this is why they influenced the concerned to go for this extravagance," said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.
A senior official while talking to Early Times on the condition of anonymity said such a development was an "unwanted burden" on the UT's exchequer.
"This is a total wastage of money. When roads across Jammu and Kashmir are in a dilapidated condition how can such a expenditure be justified. Moreover why do we need marble tiles on footpaths," the official said.
He said some of the officials had expressed reservations on this expenditure but that there were "external pressures."
A senior official justified the development saying it was in the interest of the administration.
Meanwhile the concerned have appealed Governor GC Murmu to personally look into the matter. |
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