Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 13: The Central Government fixed targets for all major projects in Rs 80,000 crores worth Prime Minister’s Development Plan (PMDP) during comprehensive review of the Plan project wise with top officers of Jammu and Kashmir Government in the Union capital this afternoon.
The high level meeting to review progress of the PMDP was chaired by Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Nipender Mishra and was attended by Union Secretaries of Finance, Tourism, Power, Education, Health and Medical Education, Urban Development Department, Roads and National Highways and all other departments, which have stakes in the PMDP projects.
Chief Secretary BR Sharma, who led the high level delegation of top bureaucrats of Jammu and Kashmir, told the Excelsior on telephone from New Delhi after the meeting that all projects, which have already been approved and which were yet to be approved came up for high level review in the meeting.
“There are large numbers of projects in Rs 80,000 crores worth PMDP and all of them were reviewed-like formulation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), start of work and deadline for their commissioning,” Sharma said, adding “each and every aspect of the PMDP was reviewed.”
Official sources said the focus of the Government of India was on speedy implementation of all projects approved in the PMDP.
They said the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, fixed targets for start of the projects under the PMDP, the work on which hasn’t been initiated so far, the preparation of DPRs of the projects within stipulated period and completion of the projects, the work on which has started or was about to start.
“The PMO has stressed that every project in the PMDP must be made time-bound-whether it was preparation of DPRs, start and completion of the work etc,” sources quoted the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary as telling the top brass of J&K’s administration.
Nipender Mishra is said to have told the J&K officers that there was no dearth of funds for implementation of the PMDP projects in Jammu and Kashmir but their release would depend upon the ground work done by the State administration.
“We will continue to release the funds in phases like DPRs, initiation of project after tendering and biding, work progress, submission of Utilization Certificates (UCs), stages of completion of work and total completion,” they said.
According to sources, the fixation of targets project-wise was done in consent with the officers of J&K administration, who were of the view that if the flow of funds from the Central Government was normal, the projects can be completed within the targeted deadlines.
According to sources, out of Rs 80,000 crores worth PMDP, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has almost got complete funds (earmarked in the Plan) for distribution of relief among September 2014 flood victims.
Rest of the PMDP comprised a large number of developmental projects including construction of several new National Highways, up-gradation of existing Highways and major roads, several new power projects, water supply schemes, infrastructure development for tourism, two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other hospitals, two ring roads and various other projects in different departments. The PMDP also included several welfare measures like Rs 2000 crores worth package for PoJK refugees etc.
Sources said the Union Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, who was also present in the meeting, assured that there will be no delay in release of funds for all projects in the PMDP but the J&K Government must make it a point that all stages of the projects-right from formulation of DPRs to the completion-were time-bound and the deadlines are met with at any cost.
The Union officers were of the view that delay in completion of projects leads to escalation of cost, which is not the healthy trend and this was also against the concept of working set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sources said immediate concern of the Centre and State Government officials was completion of work on Udhampur-Srinagar National Highway as work on Jammu-Udhampur stretch has been completed. The Government has set December 2017 as deadline for completion of entire project. The officials explained that opening of Chenani-Nashri tunnel by September end would de-congest Jammu-Srinagar National Highway up to Ramban.
The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister would hold regular reviews of the PMDP. He reportedly asked the Jammu and Kashmir officials to get in touch with concerned Union Secretaries for any queries and requirement on the projects and the Finance Secretary in case of delay in release of funds.
The Chief Secretary led delegation from J&K comprised Financial Commissioner (Planning) BB Vyas, Administrative Secretaries including Rohit Kansal (Works), Dheeraj Gupta (Power), Hridesh Kumar (Housing and Urban Development Department), Sanjeev Verma (PHE), Dr Mandeep K Bhandari (Health and Medical Education) Farooq Shah (Tourism) and Mohammad Hussain Malik (Horticulture) among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced Rs 80,000 crores worth PMDP for J&K on November 7, 2015 while addressing a rally in Srinagar.
Follow our WhatsApp channel