With great fanfare in 2003, the then State Chief Minister, laid the foundation stone of Toll Plaza at Lakhanpur where the boundaries of J&K and Punjab meet. Encompassing 276 kanals of land, the 10.5 crore prestigious project was begun in 2003, and 9 years later, in 2012, it still remains distanced from completion. Much time was consumed in resolving the disputes that arose with the landowners and Government departments with a stake. The Railways refused to give the land under its control, and finally, the project shrank to 167 kanals. Nine years is too long a time for a complex like this to come up. The work is carried out at snail’s pace. In 2008, PWD handed over the project to Jammu Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC). Despite tall claims by its DGM, the complex is still short of completion. It has jumped four extensions in the past. Worthwhile to remind is that daily income from excise duty at Nagri Parole entry point is to the tune of 80-90 lakh rupees, while at Lakhanpur, it is to the tune of 23 to 25 crore a month. Despite such significance, the Toll Plaza is not completed in 9 years, and jumped four extensions… No less sordid is the story of another project called Travel Mart conceptualized by the Tourism Department with allocation of 3 crore rupees. As usual it is also projected as an ambitious project to be spread over 212 kanals of land with many facilities on paper for the tourists. Government officials bring a plethora of reasons to rationalize delay in completion of the twin projects. We know that these are ambitious and well planned projects and we also know that once fully completed and made functional, these will occupy the pride of place. However, the nagging question of completing the projects within scheduled time remains unanswered.
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