*71 posts of RDD, R&B engineers lying vacant
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 28: At a time when China is ensuring rapid development along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India in Leh district, the departments of Jammu and Kashmir Government responsible for execution of Border Area Development Programme (BADP) are reeling under acute deficiency of staff at the cutting edge level. This situation along the LAC as also on Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan is not only leading to dismal show of this centrally sponsored scheme but also creating resentment among the border people.
During the past quite long time, the inhabitants of villages along the LAC and LoC in Leh district have been complaining about the poor performance of BADP and they are dis-satisfied largely on account of less funding for the developmental activities under this scheme and slow pace of work.
According to the information available with EXCELSIOR, Rural Development Department (RDD) and Public Works Department (PWD), which are the executing agencies for the BADP works, are reeling under acute deficiency of the staff during the past quite long time and no serious attention has been paid by those at the helm of affairs in these departments to overcome the same in order to ensure speedy execution of the works.
The PWD Circle Leh is short of 36 engineers out of which 28 are Junior Engineers, who work at cutting edge level. The condition of Rural Development Department, Leh is even worse as it has just one Junior Engineer out of a total sanctioned strength of 36 JEs in the district.
Stating that position of staff has more or less been same in the previous years as well, source said, “the deficiency of the staff is badly affecting the capacity of the executing agencies to execute the BADP works”, adding the situation is notwithstanding the fact that these departments are already required to spend an amount of Rs 300 crore of other schemes in a financial year apart from Rs 13.28 crore of the BADP.
It has been observed that at many places, even some minor works have not been taken up because of non-availability of a Junior Engineer. The staff at the cutting edge level is required for preparing estimates of work, inviting tenders, allocating works, supervision and monitoring and finally settlement of bills and claims. “In the event of such huge deficiencies of staff, it is not possible to do justice to BADP in such a sensitive border district”, sources said.
Stating that allocation under the BADP is too meager to show any tangible progress on ground, sources said, “it has generally been observed that 60 new works are taken up on an average every year inspite of a constant BADP allocation for the past six years”, adding “these additional works only add additional pressure on an already burdened BADP plan”.
“In some cases, where executing agencies are under pressure to carry out certain works, tenders of higher amount are invited and advance works are carried out, which are left incomplete till the costs of the executed works are realized by the contractor”, sources said, adding “the works are thus carried out in instalments by which it is difficult to make out the actual work on ground and resulting into deep resentment in public”.
Since Leh is an extremely important and strategic district of the country and shares border with both Pakistan and China and people of border areas are natural and ancient guardians of LAC/LoC, it is very important to address their developmental issues, sources stressed, adding “keeping in view the fact that rapid development on the Chinese side is also raising the expectations of the border people of Leh, it is imperative that Government of India must allow engagement of JEs/AEs for execution, supervision and monitoring of BADP works exclusively on purely adhoc basis till the continuation of the plan”.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Leh Simrandeep Singh said that he has brought all these issues to the notice of Planning and Development Department of the State and the concerned officers of the Central Government.
In response to a question, he said that Government of India must accord approval to the engagement of engineers exclusively for BADP works in order to show some progress on the borders.
He further said that Government of India must also give early approval to the plan keeping in view the limited working season and allocation be made to the border villages by name and not the border blocks in order to prevent any diversion of BADP funds to non-border villages.
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