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| Deadlines, political fanfare, historic references; completion nowhere in sight | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Mar 3: Much ado about nothing! Despite too much political fanfare, prestigious Mughal road project, connecting Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region with Kashmir Valley, is nowhere near completion.
Founder of National Conference (NC) Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah took up the project for execution in the year 1977. Ex-Prime Minister Inder Kumal Gujaral announced its construction in the year 1998. Ex-Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed got project approved for funding under Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme (PMRP) in the year 2004. Work started but had to be stopped midway due to Supreme Court stay.
Another ex-Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad got the Supreme Court (SC) stay vacated in the year 2007 and work began in double shift. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah threw road open for light motor vehicles on September 27, 2009, pledging to get road ready for heavy traffic by June 2010. However, more than two years have passed and the state government has already missed three deadlines.
Government's new conditional deadline is March 2013. It has already begun parroting that bad and inclement weather is likely to hamper construction work. Another historic excuse for delay is the unpredictable security situation across Kashmir valley. However, Engineers associated with road construction maintain that the executing agency- Hindustan Construction Corporation (HCC)-has failed to carry out work in time.
Masonry work along the 41-km stretch between Shopian and Peer Ki Gali has been stopped while work on road towards Bufliaz side in Poonch district is going on at a snail's pace. HCC has been referring to absence of labour and saying that work would be completed, once the labour issue is resolved. Politicians of Rajouri and Poonch allege that HCC has been intentionally delaying the project.
Whatever the reality, Mughal road is politically a significant question both for PDP and NC. Yet both the parties have preferred to keep it in the backburner and never shown eagerness to take the project forward. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did drive on the historic road in the year 2009 but since then has never even once asked the Mughal road wing of Roads and Buildings Department not to miss the deadline.
If the sources are to be believed, Chief Minister has been taking meeting of all wings of Roads and Buildings Department but doing nothing to ensure that HCC meets the new deadline. What has made the matters worse is the fact that there is no possibility of further cost escalation in the project since the government of India has already clarified that state would have to complete the project within the allocated money.
If additional funding is required at any stage, state would have to manage that from its own resources. It needs to be mentioned here that construction of Mughal Road was included in the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan in the year 2004 at an originally estimated cost of Rs. 159 crore. The cost was based on Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) prepared by RITES in 1999.
The revised cost of the project was prepared in March 2008 at an estimated cost of Rs. 639.85 crore on the basis of the survey conducted by Hindustan Construction Corporation (HCC) on alignment of the Mughal Road indicated in the preliminary feasibility report prepared by RITES. The cost was revised to accommodate construction of double-lane, seven major bridges, 21 minor bridges and 263 culverts.
Mughal Road is the name given to the track which passes from Bafliaz in Poonch district to the Shopian in south Kashmir via the Pir Panchal mountain range. The caravans of Mughal emperors, Shah Jehan and others used the road to travel to Kashmir during the 16th century. The idea of the new Mughal Road was conceived in 1950s with an aim of improving connectivity with twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu division.
Timeline
1969: The Mughal road Project was conceived
1977: Taken up for execution
1990: After completing 30-km stretch, work had to be stooped because of the militancy
1998: Former Prime Minister I.K.Gujral announced the construction of the road
2006: NGO filed petition against the project saying it will deteriorate condition of wild animals' habitation.
2007: Supreme Court gave the project go-ahead later
2009: Thrown open to light vehicles
(During the years of the Cold War, India made no tangible and purposeful effort to recover the occupied regions of Gilgit and Baltistan and hardly took any stance against Pakistan which virtually handed over
the whole region to the foreign powers) |
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