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| Rs 2.28 crore spent, roads nowhere existent | | All talk, no show! | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 23: In spite of the fact that a whopping Rs 2.28 crore were spent on the construction of roads by the PWD, the projects are still limited on papers only, raising a question mark over the efficacy with which the developmental works are carried out in the erstwhile state.
As per the official documents in possession of Early Times newspaper, a DPR for improvement of interior roads of Doda town at a cost of Rs 4.56 crore was prepared by the Public Works (R&B) Department, with a view to accommodate 500 Passenger Car Units (PCU) per day against the existing capacity of 25 units per day and to provide connectivity to interior areas of Doda town for the mobility of goods and passengers and relief and rehabilitation services during natural calamities.
The project was approved December 2006 by the State Level Steering Committee (SLSC)- Comprising Chief Minister/ Minister of Urban Development/ Minister of Housing as Chairman, Minister of Urban Development as Vice-Chairman and Minister Housing, Concerned Mayors/ Chairpersons of Urban Local Bodies, MPs/ MLAs, Secretary (PHE), Secretary (MA), Secretary (Finance), Secretary (Housing) as members and Secretary (Urban Development) as Member Secretary at an estimated cost of Rs 4.31 crore to widen three- (1) Link road from Agriculture complex to Bharath (2) Link road from New Bus stand to Nagri Via Tondwah (3) Old Iddgah road and its extension up to Akramabad- interior roads to a single lane and construct a new double lane road. The land was to be acquired by the Department for which a provision of Rs 96 lakh for compensation had been kept in the DPR.
As per UIDSSMT guidelines, implementing agencies were required to open and maintain separate Bank accounts for each project in a Commercial Bank for all receipts and expenditures. Records reveal that the Executive Engineer, R&B Division, Doda revealed that Rs 4.31 crore was released under UIDSSMT Rs 2.37 crore/ PMDP Rs 1.94 crore by the Director, ULB, Jammu to the Division for construction of roads during 2007-08 to 2018-19.
Out of Rs 4.31 crore, an amount of Rs 2.28 crore was spent in September 2020 on the construction of these three roads, while as Rs 1.94 crore had remained un-utilised in the current Bank account and was subsequently remitted November 2019 into the Government account.
Despite incurring expenditure of Rs 1.04 crore on works of two roads-(1) Link road from Agriculture complex to Bharath (2) Link road from New Bus stand to Nagri Via Tondwah allotted between March 2008 and January 2009, the project could not be completed due to non-acquisition of land, before awarding of contracts and stay orders issued in October 2013 by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Executive Engineer, R&B Division, Doda after incurring an expenditure of Rs 1.20 crore on the third road- Old Iddgah road and its extension up to Akramabad submitted in December 2018 a revised estimate of Rs 4.02 crore to the District Superintending Engineer, PWD Roads & Buildings, Doda for accord of administrative approval as the work could not be completed in time due to delayed settlement of land compensation cases. The administrative approval was not accorded as of March 2020. Due to non-acquisition of encumbrance-free land before allotment of work, construction of roads could not be completed in September 2020 even after incurring an expenditure of Rs 2.28 crore, besides the objective of providing improved connectivity to the interior areas of Doda town for the mobility of passengers and goods could not be achieved. |
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