*STF recommended Waste Mgmt Plant nowhere in sight
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 19: Making mockery of the decision taken in the District Development Board (DDB) meeting, the Housing and Urban Development Department has failed to establish transport yard and warehouse at Udhampur despite lapse of seven years. Moreover, the Special Task Force (STF) recommended Solid Waste Management Plant could not be established despite availability of funds.
In 2009, it was decided in the District Development Board meeting of Udhampur that transport yard and warehouse will be established in the district. But the decision has remained on the papers despite lapse of seven years mainly because of the slackness of the Housing and Urban Development Department.
This came to the fore from the reply of Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, who is also Minister Incharge Housing and Urban Development Department, furnished to the question of MLA Udhampur Pawan Gupta in the Lower House today.
“In pursuance to the decision taken in DDB meeting, a Detailed Project Report was prepared through District Development Commissioner on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis through RITES Consultancy”, he said, adding “the DDC Udhampur further submitted the DPR to the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department for appropriate action”.
“Although DPR was further forwarded by the Planning Department to the Housing and Urban Development Department for report/comments in the matter but the feasibility/economic viability of the project is being ascertained”, the Minister said.
About the Solid Waste Management Project sanctioned under Special Task Force in the year 2011-12, the Minister said that an amount of Rs 1 crore was also released in favour of Chief Engineer, UEED for its construction and an amount of Rs 2.17 lakh was utilized for preparation of DPR.
“The balance amount of Rs 97.83 lakh was transferred to the Director, Urban Local Bodies in the year 2015 but the same could not be utilized due to non-availability of land”, the Deputy Chief Minister said, adding “now under Swachh Bharat Mission (U) the DPR amounting to Rs 18.43 crore has been prepared through M/s WAPCOS Consultancy for establishment of project for Udhampur cluster and sent to Jammu University for technical appraisal”.
After obtaining technical appraisal, same will be submitted to Union Ministry for funding as land has now been identified at village Mand, the Minister said.
About the status of sewage treatment plants to treat affluent waste directly discharging into Holy Devika and River Tawi, the Deputy Chief Minister said that a pre-feasibility report of River Devika at an estimated cost of Rs 157.91 crore has been prepared by UEED and Housing and Urban Development Department has submitted the same to the National River Conservation Authority, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for consideration and release of funds.
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