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| Wake up call for Govt as Rs 129 Cr sewerage projects hangs up | | |
A D SINGH
Jammu, Apr 4: Uprooted roads messed up lanes and the rutted streets have no doubt become a feature of the city of temples and as the inconvenience of the commuters continues without the responsibilities being adjudged the inhabitants of the city may expect the things to improve soon. The Detailed Project Report of the Rs 129 Crore Sewerage Project as such skipped the ground realities further the poor coordination of the different department of the government has taken toll on the smooth execution of the project and the roads excavated for laying of the sewerage pipes though formally restored does not seem to be pleasing for the commuters but for the time being the usual game of shifting responsibilities between the government and the executing agencies seem to be ending as the government authorities think over to smoothen the execution work and get the roads repaired properly.
There is no doubt that the inhabitants of the city recently experienced an unprecedented traffic chaos in the city but to add to their inconvenience is the much talked about Rupees 129 crore sewerage project. Though the project is considered to be of long term advantage for the city but the execution process of the project has proved to be quite inconvenient for the public as the project has been moving at a sluggish pace and most importantly the poor restoration of the roads after the laying of the sewerage pipes has resulted into rutted roads for the commuters. But the responsibility of the NBCC for restoring the actual condition of the roads and streets after laying the sewerage pipes is perplexed as it is not possible under the agreement between the government and the executing agencies to restore the roads to the actual condition. It is a matter of fact that some of the streets in the old city where the sewerage pipes have been laid were tiled and it is not possible for the executing agencies to restore the actual condition of the streets. Further the agreement between the executing agencies and the government stipulates that NBCC has to restore the roads to actual condition by compaction of the soil to ensure that the roads are properly restored but it has been found that at many places in the city the roads have sunk after restoration by NBCC. But a question still remains unanswered is that whether the NBCC actually put its best to restore the roads as per the agreement. Pawan Kotwal, Div. Comm. Jammu and the Chairman of the Committee formulated for reviewing the execution of the project is hopeful that the project will be completed within the speculated time frame. On the issue of restoration of the roads to actual condition he commented that the responsibility of NBCC to restore the roads as under the agreement persists but NBCC cannot be held responsible for the ground realities which were not taken into consideration in the DPR and finally a survey is planned to examine the actual condition of the repaired roads and the measures to be taken for their proper restoration.
Further the executing agencies are justifying the sluggish pace to the execution work on the grounds that their has been lack of coordination between the different departments of the government which are using the beds of the same roads for water supply, planting electric poles, telecommunication lines, etc. and including the shortcomings of working in congested localities and these pleas have been till now acceptable to the authorities and the authorities admit that these shortcomings where not considered by the Hyderabad based company while formulating the DPR. But now the authorities seem to be gearing up to fill up the loopholes in the execution of the project. Recently a committee to be headed by the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu has been formulated to look into the matter and includes Chief Engineers from PWD, PDD, R&B, Comm. JMC and other concerned departments of the government including BSNL which is using the same roads as routes of its telecommunication lines and also the officers from the Traffic Police to seek coordination between different departments of the government for smooth execution of the project and in a recent meeting convened by the Div. Comm Jammu, Dr. Pawan Kotwal. He deliberated upon the various issues pertaining to the project and asked NBCC to expedite their construction work and complete the ongoing project in the scheduled time.
Asserting on the issue Mubarak Singh, Commissioner JMC said that the JMC is concerned about the inconvenience caused to the general public due to the condition of the roads and streets after the laying of the sewerage pipes and the government understands its responsibility towards the public, therefore, an estimate budget has already under consideration for the proper repair of the roads and further the committee headed by the Div. Comm. Jammu is taking regular review of the project work and also regular meetings are held to discuss the shortcomings and to remove them.
The comprehensive sewerage management project has been formulated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development is under execution by NBCC, ERA and some other government departments. The purpose of the project is to collect the sewerage from all the areas of the city which will be carried to the sewerage treatment plant at Bhagwati Nagar through a trunk line where it will be scientifically treated before being disposed off. But the execution of the project by NBCC and ERA is already under question for its sluggish pace and improper restoration of the roads after the laying of the sewerage pipes. Though the government authorities are gearing up to cover the loopholes left in the DPR and still the surveys on the condition of roads and the enquiries on the executing agencies are yet to start but what remains uncertain is that when the people of the city will have a smooth drive back home.
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