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| Govt off to summer capital, Jammu roads left abandoned | | ERA, NBCC pass the buck, people suffer miserably | | SALMAN NIZAMI
Jammu, May 18: Eight to ten months after most of the vital roads in city were dug and later filled up after laying drainage and seepage pipes by the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) and the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), there is absolutely no time frame for redoing these roads worth driving on.
Traffic jams, dirt and dust making people vulnerable to chest and other diseases have become order of the day. Adding more to worries is the fact that seat of power has moved to Srinagar and authorities have abandoned the roads.
Even a single road is not worth to running of vehicles despite the fact that both the executing agencies claim to have completed their task almost. But habitants being severely hit victims fail to understand that why the roads are not getting completed. On the other hand government is saying that they had left no stone unturned to create coordination between executing agencies and the allied departments. People of the city not suffer of dirt, dust, traffic jams and road blockage but also are becoming the victims of chest diseases due unprecedented dust mixed with air for round the clock due to vehicular movements.
ERA according to the official progress report received shows that the agency’s out of six projects only two (construction of drains and laying of cables along road sides) kicked of at an astonishingly slow pace which cause inconvenience to general masses. The pending open roads and drains is not only harmful to the people traveling through these routs but a concern to security agencies too ahead of the Annual Amarnath Yatra commencing from June 7.“It is difficult to travel on these roads which are not only unsafe but uncomfortable too” said a Raju Singh a businessman and alleged that the agencies responsible for maintenance of these roads are least bothered about the public. Work of laying cables was started before December last and still is not completed in the city.
Director ERA Jammu Vineeta Gupta while talking to Early Times informed that almost task allotted have been completed as the work of lying of pipes is complete across the city and remaining is the job is be done by the NBCC. When asked regarding the matter NBCC General Manger Jammu Hem Raj replied that initially when the project was started it was rainy season which is not favorable for the work. Still works continued causing more expenses for which NBCC has already appraised to the government as well as to Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand during his extensive visit to various working sites.
Meanwhile, same is the situation in the ongoing work at Sidhra – Surinsar – Manasar road ,from Rs 39.80 crores meant for the improvement up-gradation of the road merely Rs 4.07 crores have been spent . It is one of the main reasons of slow pace of work causes delaying of cables along road sides and other construction material, the drivers who ply on these roads say that their vehicles are damaged because of the potholes on the road. “Ironically hundreds of good citizens and politicians pass through these roads but no one has shown any concern till now just for ‘personnel interests” said a minibus driver of Bari Brahamna. He said that for them there is no problem if the roads are diverted but for the passengers’ time counts and for operators’ safety of passengers’ matters.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) a funding body had taken a serious view as ERA being a society registered with the states registrar of societies is supposed to ensure, among other things, “focused and sustained attention on the preparation of externally aided projects” and receive funds for the externally aided projects from the department of economic affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India for the implementation of these externally aided projects,” It has to furnish accounts to funding agencies in accordance with procedures proscribed by them.
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