CS takes serious note, issues fresh directives to Admn Secys
*Non-seriousness putting people to immense trouble
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 8: Despite explicit directions issued more than eight months back, several Government buildings, bridges and other establishments in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are still lacking proper approach roads and this is creating immense problems for the people and obstacles in achieving the intended outcome of the projects.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during visit to various districts of the Union Territory during Back to Village (B2V) Programme last year, some Administrative Secretaries noticed that several Government buildings which have been constructed by spending several crores of rupees were lacking proper road connectivity.
Quoting one such example, sources said that a huge building for the Poonch Degree College was constructed but proper road connectivity was not provided as no serious attention was paid towards this vital aspect at the time of preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR).
“Similarly, there are several buildings of the Health and Medical Education Department, which even several years after their construction don’t have proper connectivity due to which the patients, attendants and doctors are facing immense difficulties”, sources further said.
The ambulances and other vehicles carrying patients are compelled to pass through the bumpy roads to reach the health centres and this clearly establishes that those who had formulated the DPRs for the health centres either intentionally or due to non-serious approach ignored the construction of approach roads.
“There is a long list of the departments whose vital buildings lack proper road connectivity because of absolute non-seriousness on the part of those who had formulated the Detailed Project Reports”, they further said while disclosing that there are numerous bridges in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions which have been constructed but without any focus on providing proper approach roads.
During all the three phases of the Back to Village (B2V) Programme the visiting Government officers received numerous complaints from the common masses about lack of proper connectivity to several vital infrastructure created by the Government departments.
This was also admitted by the Roads and Buildings Department while issuing a circular on the subject in the month of October last year. “Many Government buildings related to the Health and Medical Education Department, Higher Education Department and other departments and bridges have been/being constructed utilizing Capex, Centrally Sponsored Scheme and Languishing Project resources without approach roads which is causing problems to the general public and not delivering public satisfaction after completion of mere projects”, the R&B Department has mentioned in a circular addressed to all the Administrative Secretaries.
Accordingly, it was impressed upon all the Executive Engineers associated with the construction of these buildings/bridges to get Detailed Project Reports prepared for the approach roads and submit to the concerned project authority/department for sanctioning and release of funds.
Moreover, it was explicitly conveyed to all the Administrative Departments that while sanctioning the building projects they shall include approach road for Government infrastructure in the Detailed Project Report in future.
However, during the past eight months the situation has not improved and this can be gauged from the latest circular issued by Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, who is also Financial Commissioner, Finance Department.
“It has been observed that several Government buildings, bridges and other establishments are constructed by the executing agencies without approach roads to these projects and lack of approach roads causes problems to the general public at large and intended outcome of the projects is not achieved”, Dr Mehta has mentioned.
He has enjoined upon all the Administrative Secretaries that while sanctioning the projects, integrated approach should be followed. “It should be ensured that all the projects to be undertaken for executing having requirement of approach roads shall include the cost of approach roads in the Detailed Project Reports as an integral component”, the Financial Commissioner Finance said.
“No Technical Sanction/ Administrative Approval should be accorded to such buildings/bridges which don’t have the connectivity/approach road incorporated in the project or any other essential component necessary to achieve intended outcome of the project”, Dr Mehta has further mentioned in the circular.
According to the sources, non keeping of the provision for construction of approach roads in the Detailed Project Reports of the buildings and bridges at the initial stage leads to increased burden on the Government exchequer as construction of approach roads several years after inception of projects results into cost escalation.
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