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| Non-performing departments conceal facts, put blame on JK Cements | | | Bashir Assad
srinagar, Sept 1: The under-performing Government department and developmental agencies in Kashmir have invented a novel method of putting the blame on others to veil their own misdemeanor. Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), Roads and Buildings (R&B) and Irrigation departments, in an attempt to cover the nonperformance, are clandestinely putting the blame on J&K Cements, the major profit-making public sector undertaking for not catering their demands while as the official figures reveal that the cement supply to various Government departments is for developmental projects is more than satisfactory.
Figures available with the Early Times suggest that JK Cements has so far, provided 94.4 % of the projected demand to JKPCC while as R&B Kashmir has taken delivery of 260000 MT out of the projected demand of 300000 MT for last three months. Similarly availability of quality cement to PHE and Irrigation departments was up to the mark. Notwithstanding the adequate supply of cement to these departments and Corporations by JK Cements, every overt and covert effort continues to put the blame for failures on the profit-making corporation.
Early Times has reliably learnt that when JKPCC and R&B were grilled by the administrative department after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) pulled up the Jammu and Kashmir Government for constructing sub-standard roads and delay in implementation of developmental projects, Managing Director JKPCC and Chief Engineer R&B Kashmir clandestinely put the blame on JK Cements for not catering the projected demands. However, the official figures are other way round suggesting that JK Cements has provided timely and adequate supply to the Government departments in accordance to the demands projected by each of them. Pertinently Chief Engineer R&B Mushtaq Lone was bestowed with award for his "outstanding performance" when dilapidated roads in Kashmir present an entirely different picture of non-performance of R&B.
On the other hand JK Cements, despite a shutdown of about one and a half month from April 1 to May 15, has fully catered the demands projects by Government departments especially JKPCC and R&B. Not only this JK Cements has provided about 95% of the projected demand of Leh and Kargil districts which usually remain cut-off from the rest of the world for about 6 months.
However, the motive behind defaming JK Cements is very clear. Actually, local cement factories that have come under private sector in Kashmir have been vying for Government supplies and if sources are to be believed, the contacts between private manufacturers and JKPCC and R&B have moved beyond gifts and presents. "Artificial shortage of cement is aimed at convincing the Government to place supply orders to private cement factories," sources told Early Times. Now some executive engineers of PHE and Irrigation departments have also joined the chorus. Developmental agencies, by encouraging the contractors to go for private supplies, were not only defaming JK Cements but compromising the quality.
Reports suggest cement procured from private factories is being used in many under construction developmental projects in connivance with the engineers at different levels.
“Encouraging private sector is very important for growth but quality control is even more important but unfortunately quality is being compromised," a retired Chief Engineer told Early Times. He said that many private buildings including residential houses have collapsed during the recent past in many parts of the Valley especially in rural Kashmir due to sub-standard cement used in construction.
"Even at the national level, major cement manufacturing factories cannot compete the quality produced by JK Cements under Jhelum Brand," a senior JK Cements official told Early Times. He said that JK Cements has increased its manufacturing capacity by record 47% as compared to the last fiscal without compromising the quality and is now contemplating to one more new plant.
"We are thinking to penetrate into the private market also because our demand from private people is increasing enormously," the official said. |
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